lbi3 لبيع
Moroccan Darija · noun
“lbi3” (لبيع) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning selling, the act of selling.
Meanings
- selling, the act of selling
- for sale (in "l-lbi3")
- trade (in "lbi3 w chra")
Usage
Lbi3 is the verbal noun of ba3 (to sell), preceded by the article l-. It refers to the act of selling. In "3ndek chi haja lbi3?", it takes the sense of "for sale". The fixed expression "lbi3 w chra", literally "selling and buying", means trade or business in general: "khdam f lbi3 w chra" (he does trade). There is also "3awed fih lbi3", meaning "to resell it". This word can be confused with the imperative bi3 ("sell!") or with the present kaybi3. The article is often assimilated in speech and in writing, hence spellings such as lbi3 or l-bi3.
Example
قاليا واحد دري عندك شي تيليفون لبيع
galya wahd dri 3ndk chi tilifont lbi3
“A guy told me: do you have a phone for sale?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lbi3” but also “lbe3”, “l-bi3” and “lbie3”. 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.