ghayeb غايب
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“ghayeb” (غايب) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning absent, not there.
Meanings
- absent, not there
- long gone, no longer seen
Usage
Ghayeb, feminine ghayba and plural ghaybin, describes a person who is absent: from school, work or a meeting. For example ghayeb lyoum (absent today). In affectionate speech, ya ghayeb or ya ghayba is used to greet someone you haven't seen in a long time, or to address a loved one who has gone away, sometimes with a hint of reproach. This sense is common in songs. Ghayeb 3la ... can mean "to have forgotten, to be unaware of". The corresponding verb is ghab (to be absent, to disappear).
Example
أحمد غايب اليوم، مريض.
A7med ghayeb lyoum, mridh.
“Ahmed is absent today, he is sick.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ghayeb” but also “ghayab”, “ghaieb” and “ghayib”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “ghayeb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “absent, not there”; “gone for a long time, vanished”: ghayeb in Moroccan.