sbe3 سبع
Algerian Darja · noun
“sbe3” (سبع) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning lion.
Meanings
- lion
- brave, courageous man
Usage
Sbe3 is the everyday word for a lion. It is used mostly figuratively, to praise someone as brave or tough: rak sbe3, "you're a lion", is a common compliment, especially between men or about an athlete. The word is also used to encourage someone. Pitfall in writing: the same Arabic spelling also stands for the number "seven" (seb3) before a noun, as in seb3 snin, "seven years". Only context tells the two words apart. The feminine sbe3a ("lioness") exists but is rarer.
Example
هذا الراجل سبع، ما يخاف من حتى واحد.
hada rajel sbe3, ma ykhaf men hatta wahed.
“This man is a lion, he's not afraid of anyone.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sbe3” but also “sba3”, “sbo3”, “sbaa” and “sbe3a”. 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 “sbe3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “lion”; “brave, courageous man”: sbe3 in Moroccan.