sabe9 سابق
Moroccan Darija · adjective
“sabe9” (سابق) is an adjective in Moroccan Darija meaning previous, prior.
Meanings
- previous, prior
- former (ex-holder of a post)
- having already done (something)
Usage
Sabe9 describes what comes before: l3am ssabe9 (the previous year), lwazir ssabe9 (the former minister). The word is common in the media and in careful speech. As the participle of the verb sbe9 (to get ahead of, to precede), it is also used, followed by a verb, to say that one has already done something: "rah sabe9 lina kraina had ddar" (we have already rented this house). The feminine is sab9a, the plural sab9in. In casual speech, "dyal 9bel" often replaces sabe9 in the sense of "previous".
Example
شفت الوزير السابق فالتلفازة
chft lwazir ssabe9 f ttelfaza
“I saw the former minister on TV.”
Forms
| feminine | sab9a |
|---|---|
| plural | sab9in |
| feminine plural | sab9at |
Forms as recorded in DODa, in its spelling.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sabe9” but also “sabi9”, “sab9”, “saabi9” and “sabiq”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.