3arbi عربي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“3arbi” (عربي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning Arab, Arabic.
Meanings
- Arab, Arabic
- traditional, local
- Arabic language
Usage
3arbi means Arab (feminine 3arbiya, plural 3rab). In Tunisia it also has a meaning of its own: "traditional, local, of the land", as opposed to what is modern or imported. One says jebba 3arbi, sirwel 3arbi for traditional clothing, dejej 3arbi for free-range chicken, 3dham 3arbi for farm eggs, kabinet 3arbi for a squat toilet. In these uses the word often stays invariable. On its own, el 3arbi means the Arabic language, notably the school subject.
Example
ايواه خير من تونس و برشا بلدان عربية ,
Ayawh khiiiiir min Tunis wa barsha bouden 3arabia ,
“Ah, it's much better than Tunisia and a lot of Arab countries.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3arbi” but also “arbi”, “3arabi”, “arabi” and “3rbi”. 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 “3arbi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “Arab (person, origin)”; “Arabic (language, culture)”: 3rbi in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “Arab (person, language)”; “traditional, local, homemade”: 3arbi in Algerian.