s3ib صعيب
Algerian Darja · adjective
“s3ib” (صعيب) is an adjective in Algerian Darja meaning difficult.
Meanings
- difficult
- hard, harsh (times, situation)
Usage
S3ib is the usual form of "difficult" in Algeria. It is used for a task, an exam or a situation, and often for a person with a difficult character. The construction s3ib 3lih means "it's hard for him" or "he will struggle to". The feminine is s3iba and the plural is s3ab. The expression lwe9t s3ib, "times are hard", is frequent. It is used in all registers. The intensifier is formed with bezzaf: s3ib bezzaf.
Example
الامتحان كان صعيب بزاف.
l'imti7an kan s3ib bezzaf.
“The exam was very difficult.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “s3ib” but also “sa3ib”, “s3eb”, “saaib” and “s3iib”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “s3ib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “difficult, hard”; “tough, harsh (situation, period)”: s3ib in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “difficult, not easy”; “hard, painful to bear”: s3ib in Tunisian.