seeb سيب
Algerian Darja · verb
“seeb” (سيب) is a verb in Algerian Darja meaning to let go, release.
Meanings
- to let go, release
- to leave, drop
- to let flow (water)
Usage
Sayyeb means to let go of what one is holding or to let something or someone go. It is a very common verb in daily life: "sayyeb yeddi", "let go of my hand", "sayyeb lmā", "let the water run". Figuratively, it is used for giving up: "sayyebha", "drop it, don't insist". The participle msayyeb describes someone as neglected or slack, or a child left unsupervised. In the imperative, the short form sib or sayyeb is heard depending on the region. Pitfall: it is not a neutral "let" in the sense of "allow". For that sense, people say khalli instead.
Example
سيّب يدي راك وجعتني
seyyeb yeddi rak wja3tni
“Let go of my hand, you're hurting me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “seeb” but also “sayeb”, “seyyeb”, “sib” and “sayyeb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “seeb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to let go, release”; “to leave alone”: sayeb in Tunisian.