khabba خبا
Tunisian Derja · verb
“khabba” (خبا) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to hide, to conceal.
Meanings
- to hide, to conceal
- to put aside, to keep
- to keep aside, save, store
Usage
Khabba is the usual verb for "hide". In the present it conjugates as ykhabbi, and the imperative is khabbi. The form t5abba means "to hide oneself". It is used for an object, a piece of information, or a feeling: khabba 3lih el 7aja, "he hid the thing from him". It also means "to put aside" something for later, for example money or food. The expression khabba rasou fil raml, "he hid his head in the sand", describes someone who avoids their responsibilities or refuses to face reality.
Example
وين خبّيت المفاتح؟
win khabbit el mfete7?
“Where did you hide the keys?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “khabba” but also “5abba”, “khaba”, “5aba”, “5abbi” and “khabbi”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find خبا and خبى, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 5 is kha (خ), like the ch in Scottish loch.
Type “khabba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to hide, conceal an object”; “to keep something secret”: khebba in Moroccan.