5af خاف
Tunisian Derja · verb
“5af” (خاف) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to be afraid, to fear.
Meanings
- to be afraid, to fear
- to worry about someone
Usage
Khaf is the common verb for "to be afraid". In the imperfect, one says ykhaf (he is afraid) and nkhaf (I am afraid). The object of the fear is introduced with men: nkhaf mel kleb, "I am afraid of dogs". To express fear that something might happen, use la: khaf la yfoutou el wa9t, "he feared that time would slip away from him". With 3la, the verb means to worry about someone: tkhaf 3lih, "she worries about him". In the imperative, ma tkhafech means "don't be afraid". The form khaf is also the perfect of the third person masculine singular, "he was afraid".
Example
خاف لا حقّوا يضيع و خاف لا ال وقت يفوته ,
5af le 7a99ou ydhi3 ou 5af le el wa9t yfoutou ,
“He feared that his right would be lost and he feared that time would slip away from him.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5af” but also “khaf” and “kh5af”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “5af” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to be afraid, to fear”; “to fear (God), to respect”: khaf in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to be afraid, fear”; “to worry about someone”: khaf in Algerian.