7abba حابة
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“7abba” (حابة) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning wanting, feeling like (fem.).
Meanings
- wanting, feeling like (fem.)
- loving, liking (fem.)
Usage
7abba is the feminine active participle of the verb 7abb, to love or to want. The masculine is 7abb and the plural 7abbin. It is used very commonly to express a wish in the present, often followed by a verb in the imperfect: ena 7abba nemchi, I want to go. It can also be followed by a noun: 7abba 9ahwa, I want a coffee. It is softer than "I want" in English and often equals "I'd like". Only a woman uses it to speak about herself. It is also used when speaking about a woman.
Example
آنا حابّة نمشي للبحر غدوة
ena 7abba nemchi lel b7ar ghodwa
“I feel like going to the sea tomorrow.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7abba” but also “7aba”, “habba”, “7abbe” and “7abbaa”. 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.
Type “7abba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “wanting (fem.)”; “liking (fem.)”: 7aba in Algerian.