sbe3 سبع
Moroccan Darija · noun
“sbe3” (سبع) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning lion.
Meanings
- lion
- brave, courageous man
- seven (before a noun)
Usage
Sbe3 means lion, and by extension a strong or courageous man: "nta sbe3" is a compliment. It appears in many expressions, such as "jab-ha mn fomm sbe3" (to snatch it from the lion's mouth), said of something obtained after a hard struggle. In writing, the same spelling is also used for seb3, the short form of "seven" placed before a noun ("seb3 snin", seven years). For the time, "sb3 q'sam" means "and thirty-five", a q'sam being five minutes. It should not be confused with sbe3, "finger", often written صبع. Context resolves the ambiguity.
Example
كيجيبها من فم سبع
kijibha mn fom sba3
“He snatches it from the lion's mouth.”
Forms
| plural | Sba3 |
|---|
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 “sbe3” but also “sb3”, “sba3”, “sbaa” and “sbe3e”. 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 “sbe3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “lion”; “brave, courageous man”: sbe3 in Algerian.