tneffes تنفّس
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tneffes” (تنفّس) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to breathe.
Meanings
- to breathe
- to catch one's breath, relax
- breathing
Usage
Common verb for "to breathe", pronounced tneffes or tnaffas. In the imperfect: kanetneffes (I breathe), ma-kaytneffesch (he doesn't breathe). The imperative tneffes is often used to calm someone down: "breathe, relax". One says tneffes mezyan for "to breathe deeply" and tneffes b-chwiya for "to breathe slowly". Figuratively, it also means to catch one's breath after an effort or a stressful moment. The corresponding noun, in a more formal register, is tanaffus (breathing), which you hear at the doctor's: 3ndu mochkil f t-tanaffus (he has a breathing problem).
Example
تنفس مزيان و غادي تولي بخير
tnafas mazyan o ghadi twlli bikhir
“Breathe well and you'll be fine.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantnffs | tnffst | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattnffs | tnffsti | tnffs |
| nti (you, f.) | kattnffsi | tnffsti | tnffsi |
| howa (he) | kaytnffs | tnffs | |
| hiya (she) | kattnffs | tnffsat | |
| 7na (we) | kantnffso | tnffsna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattnffso | tnffsto | tnffso |
| homa (they) | kaytnffso | tnffso |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tneffes” but also “tnaffas”, “tnffs”, “tnafas”, “tanaffos” and “tanffos”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.