kebber كبّر
Moroccan Darija · verb
“kebber” (كبّر) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to raise (a child).
Meanings
- to raise (a child)
- to enlarge, make bigger
- to say "Allahou akbar"
Usage
Kebber, with a doubled consonant, is the transitive form of kber ("to grow up, to get old"). Do not confuse the two: wldi kber means "my son has grown up", whereas kebbert wldi means "I raised my son". Kebber is also used for enlarging an object, a photo or text on a screen (kebber tswira), and figuratively for exaggerating a matter (kebber lmouchkil). In a religious context, it means to say "Allahou akbar", notably during prayer or Eid. In written arabizi, the spellings kbr and kber often do not distinguish the two verbs.
Example
كبّرات ولادها بوحدها
kebbrat wladha b we7dha
“She raised her children on her own.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kankbbr | kbbrt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katkbbr | kbbrti | kbbr |
| nti (you, f.) | katkbbri | kbbrti | kbbri |
| howa (he) | kaykbbr | kbbr | |
| hiya (she) | katkbbr | kbbrat | |
| 7na (we) | kankbbro | kbbrna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katkbbro | kbbrto | kbbro |
| homa (they) | kaykbbro | kbbro |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “kebber” but also “kbbr”, “kabber”, “kbr” and “kber”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “kebber” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to raise (a child)”; “to enlarge, make bigger”: kebber in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to grow up”; “to get older, age”: kber in Tunisian.