3roubi عروبي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3roubi” (عروبي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning rural person, countryman.
Meanings
- rural person, countryman
- bumpkin (pejorative)
Usage
The word 3roubi refers to a person from the countryside, as opposed to the city dweller, the beldi. Depending on context, it can be neutral and simply describe a rural origin. It is however often derogatory, then equivalent to "bumpkin" or "hick". Thrown at someone, it can hurt, as it taps into regional prejudices. Its forms are 3roubiya in the feminine and 3rab in the plural. It is also used as an adjective, for example in "khobz 3roubi", "country bread", where it means "rustic, traditional".
Example
هو عروبي، جا من الريف
howa 3roubi, ja mel rif
“He's a countryman, he comes from the countryside.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3roubi” but also “aroubi”, “3aroubi” and “arroubi”. 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 “3roubi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “person from the countryside, rural”; “bumpkin, hick (pejorative)”: 3roubi in Moroccan.