sebbeb سبّب
Moroccan Darija · verb
“sebbeb” (سبّب) is a verb in Moroccan Darija meaning to cause, provoke.
Meanings
- to cause, provoke
- to be the origin of
Usage
Sebbeb means "to cause" or "to provoke", most often something negative: sebbeb lmochkil (he caused the problem), sebbeb l7adita (he caused the accident). The usual construction is sebbeb l- + person + thing: sebbeb liya mochkil (he caused me trouble). The noun from the same root, sbab or sabab (reason, cause), is very common: 3la sbab (because of), bla sbab (for no reason). The derived form tsebbeb means "to get by, to earn a living, to trade". Do not confuse it with sebb (to insult).
Example
هو اللي سبّب ليا هاد المشكل
howa lli sebbeb liya had lmochkil
“He's the one who caused me this problem.”
Conjugation
Forms as recorded in DODa and reproduced in its spelling, which often leaves out short vowels.
| Imperfective (present) | Perfective (past) | Imperative | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ana (I) | kansbbeb | sbbebt | |
| nta (you, m.) | katsbbeb | sbbebti | sbbeb |
| nti (you, f.) | katsbbebi | sbbebti | sbbebi |
| howa (he) | kaysbbeb | sbbeb | |
| hiya (she) | katsbbeb | sbbebat | |
| 7na (we) | kansbbebo | sbbebna | |
| ntouma (you, pl.) | katsbbebo | sbbebto | sbbebo |
| homa (they) | kaysbbebo | sbbebo |
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sebbeb” but also “sabbeb”, “sbbeb”, “sebeb”, “sabab” and “sbab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “sebbeb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “to cause, to bring about”; “to be the reason for”: sebbeb in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “reason, motive”; “cause, origin of something”: sbab in Tunisian.