7ab حاب
Tunisian Derja · verb
“7ab” (حاب) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning wanting, intending to.
Meanings
- wanting, intending to
- intent on (pejorative)
Usage
7ab is the active participle of 7abb, "to want, to love". It is the most common way to say "I want" in the present: "ena 7ab nemchi", I want to leave. It agrees in gender and number: 7abba in the feminine, 7abbin in the plural. It is followed directly by the verb in the imperfect, with no conjunction. It is equivalent to the conjugated form "n7ebb", which is often more spontaneous. Applied to a third person, it can signal a suspicious intent: "7ab y3mel fitna", he is out to stir up discord. Do not confuse it with the noun 7obb, love.
Example
أنا حاب نمشي للبحر غدوة
ena 7ab nemchi lel b7ar ghodwa
“I want to go to the sea tomorrow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7ab” but also “hab”, “7abb”, “7eb” and “habb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.