so3ouba صعوبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“so3ouba” (صعوبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning difficulty.
Meanings
- difficulty
- trouble or effort in doing something
Usage
So3ouba is the noun derived from s3ib ("difficult"). It is in common use, especially in a somewhat formal register: media, speeches, work, studies. Typical constructions: so3ouba fi ("a difficulty in") or b-so3ouba ("with difficulty, hardly"), for example lqitha b-so3ouba ("I found her with difficulty"). The plural so3oubat ("difficulties") is frequent when talking about financial or administrative problems. In casual conversation, people often prefer a phrase with the adjective: s3iba 3liya ("it's hard for me").
Example
لقيت صعوبة باش نفهم الدرس.
l9it so3ouba bech nefhem ed-dars.
“I had difficulty understanding the lesson.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “so3ouba” but also “sou3ouba”, “su3uba” and “so3oba”. 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 “so3ouba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “difficulty, trouble doing something”: so3oba in Moroccan.