jaf

See also: jàf and jäf

Maltese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jaːf/

Verb

jaf (imperfect only)

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.

Conjugation

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

conjugation of jaf

	singular				plural
	1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person m	3^rd person f	1^st person	2^nd person	3^rd person
	jien(a)	int(i)	hu(wa)	hi(ja)	aħna	intom	huma
perfect	kont naf	kont taf	kien jaf	kienet taf	konna nafu	kontu tafu	kienu jafu

imperfect	naf	taf	jaf	taf	nafu	tafu	jafu

imperative		kun af				kunu afu

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