7aba حابة
Algerian Darja · adjective
“7aba” (حابة) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning wanting (fem.).
Meanings
- wanting (fem.)
- liking (fem.)
Usage
7abba is the feminine participle of 7ab, "to want" or "to like". The masculine is 7ab and the plural is 7abbin. It is used like a present-tense verb: "rani 7abba nroh" means "I want to go". It is often preceded by rani, raki or rahi, and followed by an imperfect verb. A woman speaking about her own wish uses it very often. Note that the word mainly expresses a wish, "to want", and rarely romantic feeling in this construction.
Example
راني حابّة نشوف تلمسان
rani 7abba nchouf Tlemcen
“I want to see Tlemcen.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7aba” but also “7abba”, “habba”, “haba” and “7abaa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.
Type “7aba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “wanting, feeling like (fem.)”; “loving, liking (fem.)”: 7abba in Tunisian.