tserref تصرّف
Moroccan Darija · verb
“tserref” (تصرّف) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to behave, act.
Meanings
- to behave, act
- to manage, handle a situation
- to provide for (with 3la)
Usage
Tserref is a very common verb. It means to behave or act (tserref mezyan: he behaved well). It is also used to mean coping with a problem: tserref !, sort it out / deal with it. With the preposition 3la, it means to support someone or spend money on them: tserref 3la wladou, he supports his children. So watch the preposition, which changes the meaning. The noun tasarrouf (behavior, conduct) belongs to a more formal register. It is found mostly in the media or in administrative contexts.
Example
شكون كان فالجتماع، و واش كولشي تصرف مزيان؟
chkon kan fl jtima3, o wach kolchi tSrraf mzyan?
“Who was at the meeting, and did everyone behave well?”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kantSerref | tSerreft | |
| nta (you, m.) | kattSerref | tSerrefti | tSerref |
| nti (you, f.) | kattSerrfi | tSerrefti | tSerrfi |
| howa (he) | kaytSerref | tSerref | |
| hiya (she) | kattSerref | tSerrfat | |
| 7na (we) | kantSerrfo | tSerrfna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kattSerrfo | tSerrfto | tSerrfo |
| homa (they) | kaytSerrfo | tSerrfo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tserref” but also “tsrf”, “tsarraf”, “tasarrof”, “tasrrof” and “tasarrouf”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “tserref” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to manage, find a solution”; “to behave, act”: tsarref in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to manage, handle a situation”; “to behave, to act”: tsarref in Tunisian.