maghboun مغبون
Algerian Darja · adjective
“maghboun” (مغبون) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning unhappy, wretched.
Meanings
- unhappy, wretched
- unlucky, living in hardship
Usage
Maghboun (feminine maghbouna, plural maghbounin) describes a person weighed down by misery, bad luck or the hardships of life. It is found in expressions of compassion, such as "rabbi yfarraj 3la koll maghboun" (may God bring relief to every unfortunate person), or in complaints like "rani maghboun". The noun from the same family is lghbina, "misery, misfortune". The verb ghban means "to make unhappy" or "to exhaust, to cause trouble": "ghbantni" means "you made me suffer" or "you gave me a hard time". The register is common and often emotional. Here the word does not carry the sense of "wronged" that it has in Standard Arabic.
Example
مسكين راهو مغبون، ما لقاش خدمة.
meskine rahou maghboun, ma l9ach khedma.
“The poor guy, he's miserable, he hasn't found a job.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “maghboun” but also “mghboun”, “maghbon”, “maghboune” and “mghbon”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.