s3ib صعيب
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“s3ib” (صعيب) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning difficult, not easy.
Meanings
- difficult, not easy
- hard, painful to bear
- demanding, hard-natured
Usage
S3ib is the usual adjective for "difficult" in Tounsi: an exam, a job, a situation, a separation can all be s3ib. It also applies to a person who is demanding or hard to please. The feminine is s3iba, the plural s3ab. It is often used alone as an exclamation ("s3ib !", that's hard) or in s3ib 3lia, "it's difficult for me". The intensive is formed with barcha: s3ib barcha. The usual opposite is sahel, "easy". The comparative is as3ab. Neutral register, used in all situations.
Example
الامتحان كان صعيب برشا.
el imti7an kan s3ib barcha.
“The exam was very difficult.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “s3ib” but also “sa3ib”, “s3eb” and “s3iib”. 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 “s3ib” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “difficult, hard”; “tough, harsh (situation, period)”: s3ib in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “difficult”; “hard, harsh (times, situation)”: s3ib in Algerian.