dh3af ضعف

Tunisian Derja · verb

“dh3af” (ضعف) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to lose weight, get thin.

Meanings

1. to lose weight, get thin
2. to weaken, grow weak

Usage

Dh3af (imperfective yodh3af) first means "to lose weight": "dh3oft" means "I lost weight". This is a pitfall for anyone going by Standard Arabic, who would expect only the sense "to weaken". That second sense exists, for health, eyesight or willpower: "dh3af qalbou", "his strength has weakened". The noun dh3f means "weakness". In "3andou dh3f l-", it means a soft spot for someone or something. The adjective dh3if means both "thin" and "weak". The compliment or remark "dh3aft !" ("you've lost weight!") is very common.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dh3af” but also “dhe3if”, “da3af” and “dh3oft”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.

Type “dh3af” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to weaken, make weak”; “to make thin, slim down”: d33ef in Moroccan.

In Algerian Darja

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to weaken”; “to make thin”: da33ef in Algerian.