3ber عبّر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“3ber” (عبّر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to measure.
Meanings
- to measure
- to weigh
- to express (formal register)
Usage
3abbar mainly means "to measure" and "to weigh". It is used at the market to weigh goods, or to measure a length, a plot of land, a road. The sense "to express" (3abbar 3la, "to express one's feelings") comes from Standard Arabic and belongs to a more formal or media register. The construction 3abbar 3la can also mean "to measure for someone", hence the colloquial expression "it's your turn, you've had your share". In the present, one says kay3abbar. In the imperative, one says 3abbar.
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kan3bbr | 3bbrt | |
| nta (you, m.) | kat3bbr | 3bbrti | 3bbr |
| nti (you, f.) | kat3bbri | 3bbrti | 3bbri |
| howa (he) | kay3bbr | 3bbr | |
| hiya (she) | kat3bbr | 3bbrat | |
| 7na (we) | kan3bbro | 3bbrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | kat3bbro | 3bbrto | 3bbro |
| homa (they) | kay3bbro | 3bbro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3ber” but also “3bber”, “3bbar”, “3bbr” and “3abbar”. 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 “3ber” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to measure, portion out”; “to weigh up, assess”: 3abber in Algerian.