5taf خطف
Tunisian Derja · verb
“5taf” (خطف) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to snatch, grab suddenly.
Meanings
- to snatch, grab suddenly
- to abduct, kidnap
- to drop by briefly
Usage
Khṭaf, present yokhṭof, means "to seize quickly, snatch": a bag, a phone, an object from someone's hands. The expression khṭafha min fommi, "you took it right out of my mouth", is used when the other person says exactly what you were about to say. The verb is also used for an abduction, for example khṭfou ṣghir, "they abducted a child". It is also used for a flying visit: khṭaf ʿalina, "he dropped by to see us briefly". The register is common and colloquial.
Example
ولاه خطفتها من فمّي يا هاجر هههه شفت اك ال حالة بربّي
wllah 5taftha min fommi ya hajer hhhhhhhh choft akil 7ala brabi
“I swear, you took it right out of my mouth, Hajer, haha. Did you see the state of things, honestly?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “5taf” but also “khtaf”, “5tef” and “5tif”. 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 “5taf” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to kidnap someone”; “to snatch, grab suddenly”: khtef in Moroccan.