le3ba لعبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“le3ba” (لعبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning game.
Meanings
- game
- toy
- match, round
Usage
Le3ba (or lo3ba) is the noun derived from the verb le3eb, "to play". It covers a game (cards, video game, board game) as well as a child's plaything: le3ba is used for a toy, where English distinguishes "game" and "toy". In football, it can refer to the match or to a team's style of play. The usual plural is le3b or al3ab. Figuratively, depending on context, le3ba can also mean a manoeuvre or scheme ("it's a le3ba"). The word is used in all registers.
Example
شريتلو لعبة جديدة لعيد ميلادو.
chritlou le3ba jdida l3id miledou.
“I bought him a new toy for his birthday.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “le3ba” but also “lo3ba”, “l3ba”, “la3ba” and “lou3ba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “le3ba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “game”; “toy”: lo3ba in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “game, match”; “toy”: l3ba in Algerian.