Lebanese خافkhāf means “become afraid, be afraid, fear.” Its long vowel disappears before several perfect suffixes—خاف but خفت—then returns in بيخاف. Syntax matters just as much: the feared source normally follows من, while a feared outcome can be a clause with إنو.
The verb can locate fear as an event (“she got scared”) or a state (“she is afraid”). The active participle خايف is especially natural for a present felt state; the finite b-form commonly expresses a general tendency or what triggers fear. Its vowel alternation belongs to the hollow-verb system.
Perfect paradigm
The masculine singular and third-person plural have long ā. The short stem khif- appears before most consonant-initial endings. Treat this distribution as part of the verb, not as optional pronunciation.
| Person | Form | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| أنا | خفت | khift |
| إنت | خفت | khift |
| إنتي | خفتي | khifte |
| هو | خاف | khāf |
| هي | خافت | khāfit |
| نحنا | خفنا | khifna |
| إنتو | خفتوا | khifto |
| هني | خافوا | khāfo |
خفت لما طفت الكهربا والمصعد وقف بين طابقين.
khift lamma ṭifit el-kahraba wil-miṣʿad waʾaf bēn ṭābʾēn.
I got scared when the power went out and the elevator stopped between floors. (informal; bounded reaction)
خافت من صوت الإنذار، وبعدين فهمت إنو تدريب.
khāfit min ṣawt el-inzār, w-baʿdēn fihmit enno tadrīb.
She was frightened by the alarm, then realized it was a drill. (neutral; fear source with من)
b-imperfect and bare imperfect
The b-imperfect keeps long ā throughout. Use it for habitual fear, a disposition, or a contextual present. The bare imperfect follows رح، لازم، بدّي and appears in negative commands.
| Person | b-imperfect | Bare imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| أنا | بخاف bkhāf | خاف khāf |
| إنت | بتخاف btkhāf | تخاف tkhāf |
| إنتي | بتخافي btkhāfe | تخافي tkhāfe |
| هو | بيخاف byikhāf | يخاف ykhāf |
| هي | بتخاف btkhāf | تخاف tkhāf |
| نحنا | منخاف mnkhāf | نخاف nkhāf |
| إنتو | بتخافوا btkhāfo | تخافوا tkhāfo |
| هني | بيخافوا byikhāfo | يخافوا ykhāfo |
ابني بيخاف من الكلاب الكبيرة، بس ما بيخاف من الزغار.
ibne byikhāf min el-klēb el-kbīre, bass ma byikhāf min ez-zghār.
My son is afraid of big dogs, but not small ones. (informal; general tendency)
إذا ما ثبتنا الرف منيح، بخاف يوقع عالولد.
iza ma sabbatna r-raff mnīḥ, bkhāf yōʾaʿ ʿal-walad.
If we don't secure the shelf properly, I'm afraid it may fall on the child. (informal; feared outcome with a bare clause)
The progressive عم بيخاف is not the neutral way to state a stable fear. It can describe repeated visible reactions or a fear building in a particular episode. Usually use خايف for a current state.
Fear of a source: من and its suffixes
The usual frame is خاف من حدا/شي: بخاف من العتمة “I'm afraid of the dark.” The feared person or thing is not a direct object. Pronouns attach to the preposition: مني، منك، منه، منها، منا، منكن، منهن.
ما تخاف مني؛ أنا جايي ساعدك، مش حاسبك.
ma tkhāf minne; ana zhāye sāʿdak, mish ḥāsbak.
Don't be afraid of me; I'm here to help you, not interrogate you. (informal reassurance; preposition clitic)
كنا نخاف منها لأن أسلوبها كان قاسي.
kinna nkhāf minha laʾann oslūba kēn ʾāse.
We used to be afraid of her because her manner was harsh. (neutral; habitual past with كان + bare form)
Do not confuse خاف منه “was afraid of him” with خاف عليه “worried for him/about his safety.” The second frame presents the person as someone at risk, not as the source of fear.
تأخر بالطريق، وأمه خافت عليه من التلج.
tʾakhkhar biṭ-ṭarīʾ, w-immo khāfit ʿalē min et-talzh.
He was late on the road, and his mother worried about him because of the snow. (informal; person at risk with على)
Feared outcomes and warnings
A full proposition commonly follows إنو: خايف إنو نتأخر “I'm afraid we'll be late.” In quick speech, a bare clause also follows finite بخاف. English I'm afraid that... can merely soften bad news; Lebanese خايف إنو normally expresses real concern. For polite bad news, use an apology or a direct softener instead.
خايف إنو الطلب ما يوصل قبل السفر.
khāyef enno ṭ-ṭalab ma yōṣal ʾabl es-safar.
I'm afraid the order won't arrive before the trip. (male speaker; current concern)
Warnings often use دير بالك “watch out” or انتبه “pay attention” rather than an affirmative command meaning “be afraid.” Positive خاف exists, notably in serious خاف الله “fear God” (religious/moral), but ordinary reassurance uses the prohibitive.
ما تخافي، الفحص أسرع بكتير من ما متخيلة.
ma tkhāfe, l-faḥeṣ asraʿ b-ktīr min ma mtkhayyle.
Don't be afraid; the test is much quicker than you're imagining. (reassurance to one woman)
The positive commands are خاف، خافي، خافوا; negative commands are ما تخاف، ما تخافي، ما تخافوا.
Active participle and causative contrast
خايفkhāyef, feminine خايفةkhāyfe, plural خايفينkhāyfīn, is the default way to present a current fear as a state. With an object suffix, remember that the suffix belongs on من, not on the participle: خايف منه.
نحنا خايفين من التأخير، مش من كلفة المشروع.
niḥna khāyfīn min et-taʾkhīr, mish min kilfet el-mashrūʿ.
We're worried about the delay, not the project's cost. (professional conversation; participial state)
Form II خوّف means “frighten/make afraid” and takes the frightened experiencer as an object: خوّفني الصوت “the noise scared me.” That object pattern does not transfer back to خاف.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the long vowel before perfect suffixes
❌ أنا خافت من النتيجة.
Incorrect — first-person perfect uses the short stem خفت.
✅ أنا خفت من النتيجة قبل ما يحكوا معي.
ana khift min en-natīzhe ʾabl ma yiḥko maʿe.
I was afraid of the result before they spoke with me.
Making the feared source a direct object
❌ الولد بيخاف الكلب.
Incorrect neutral frame — the source of fear normally takes من.
✅ الولد بيخاف من الكلب يلي عند الباب.
el-walad byikhāf min el-kaleb yalle ʿind el-bēb.
The child is afraid of the dog by the door.
Confusing fear of someone with concern for them
❌ أمه خافت منه لما تأخر بالعاصفة.
Incorrect for concern about his safety — منه makes him the source of fear.
✅ أمه خافت عليه لما تأخر بالعاصفة.
immo khāfit ʿalē lamma tʾakhkhar bil-ʿāṣfe.
His mother worried about him when he was delayed in the storm.
Copying polite English “I'm afraid...”
❌ خايف إنو ما عنا هالقياس.
Awkward if this is only a shop assistant's polite softener and no fear is meant.
✅ للأسف ما عنا هالقياس، بس فينا نطلبه.
lil-asaf ma ʿanna hal-ʾiyēs, bass fīna niṭlobo.
Unfortunately, we don't have this size, but we can order it.
Key Takeaways
Learn خاف–خفت–بيخاف–خاف–خايف as one hollow-verb package. Mark the feared source with من, a person whose safety concerns you with على, and an outcome with إنو or a bare clause. Use خايف for a present felt state and ما تخاف for everyday reassurance.
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