jaf

From Arabic يَعْرِفُ (yaʕrifu), imperfect of عَرَفَ (ʕarafa, “to know, get to know, find out”). Doublet of uncontracted għaraf (“to recognise, become aware of, find out”).

• IPA^(key): /jaːf/

jaf (imperfect only)

1. to know; to be able to do sth.

   Ma nafx. ― I don't know.

   Ma kienx jaf li wasalna. ― He didn't know that we'd arrived.

   Ma nafx jekk huwa jkunx reliġjuż. ― I don't know whether [or not] he's religious.

   • 2023, Keith Borg, magħġuna fit-tbenġil, Ede Books, →ISBN:

     kull skuża
     f’soċjetà kkankrata
     li ma tridx taf b’mara
     sakemm m’hemmx kwota
     li ma tridx taf b’mara
     sakemm ma tridx tivvota

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• The verb is defective and has no perfect forms. The perfect tense is expressed with forms of kien followed by the imperfect forms.

Borrowed from Polish żak.

• Audio:

  (file)

jaf n (plural jafuri)

1. robbery