dharben ضربان

Tunisian Derja · noun

“dharben” (ضربان) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning throbbing pain, stabbing pain.

Meanings

1. throbbing pain, stabbing pain
2. beating (of the heart, pulse)

Usage

Dharben refers to a pain that throbs or stabs, like a toothache, an abscess or a stomachache. You hear it in "3andi dharben fi rasi" (I have throbbing pains in my head) or "wjii3a dharben" (a throbbing pain). The corresponding verb is "yodhrob". Thus, "rasi yodhrob fiya" means "my head is throbbing". For the heart, "dharben el galb" belongs to a register closer to standard Arabic. The word comes from the root meaning "to strike", but here it does not refer to blows: an English speaker should not translate it as "blows".

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dharben” but also “dharbene” and “dharban”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “dharben” on the Arabic keyboard