7abbouch حبوش
Tunisian Derja · verb
“7abbouch” (حبوش) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning they didn't want.
Meanings
- they didn't want
- they don't want
- they didn't like it
Usage
7abbouch is not a standalone word. It is a conjugated form of the verb 7abb (to want, to like) in the third person plural, with the discontinuous negation ma… ch: ma 7abbouch. In principle ma should always come before the form, but in quick online writing it is often omitted or written separately. The meaning depends on context: refusal ("they didn't want"), a simple lack of desire in the present, or lack of affection. Followed by an imperfect verb, it expresses a refusal to do something: ma 7abbouch yfehmou, "they didn't want to understand". Do not confuse it with 7abbouh, "they liked him/it".
Example
ما حبّوش يجيو معانا
ma 7abbouch yjiw m3ana
“They didn't want to come with us.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7abbouch” but also “7abouch”, “habbouch”, “7abbooch” and “7abbouche”. 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.