3sabi عصابي
Tunisian Derja · noun
“3sabi” (عصابي) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning my nerves.
Meanings
- my nerves
- to be on edge (expression)
Usage
Possessed form of a3sab (nerves), commonly pronounced 3sabi, without the initial vowel. It appears mostly in fixed expressions. "3la 3sabi" means "on edge, worked up", often with nabda or welli: "nabda 3la 3sabi", "I'm starting to get worked up". "Tawatterli 3sabi" means "you're getting on my nerves". The possessive changes with the person: 3sabek, 3sabou, 3sabha. The register is informal and very common in speech. Pitfall for an English speaker: the word refers to a state of nervousness or irritation, never anatomy in the medical sense.
Example
اليوم ولّيت على عصابي، ما تكلّمنيش
lyoum welleit 3la 3sabi, ma tkalemnich
“Today I'm on edge, don't talk to me.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “3sabi” but also “a3sabi”, “3sebi”, “a3sebi” and “3asabi”. 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.