sa3ba صعبة
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“sa3ba” (صعبة) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning difficult (feminine).
Meanings
- difficult (feminine)
- hard, tough to live with
Usage
Sa3ba is the feminine form of s3ib, "difficult". It agrees with a feminine noun: el 9raya sa3ba (studies are difficult), el 7ala sa3ba (the situation is hard). Used alone, "sa3ba!" serves as an exclamation meaning "that's hard!" or "it's not a given". It also applies to people: mra sa3ba, a demanding woman or one who is hard to please. The common plural is s3ab. The comparative is as3ab (more difficult). Note the 3, which stands for the guttural sound ʿayn, absent from English.
Example
الخدمة هاذي صعبة برشا
el khedma hédhi sa3ba barcha
“This job is very difficult.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “sa3ba” but also “s3iba”, “sa3eba” and “saaba”. 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.