tbi3i طبيعي
Tunisian Derja · adjective
“tbi3i” (طبيعي) is an adjective in Tunisian Derja meaning natural, not artificial.
Meanings
- natural, not artificial
- normal, obvious
- of course (reply)
Usage
Tbi3i describes what is natural, with no chemicals or artifice: 3sal tbi3i, "natural honey". Very often it also means "normal": chay tbi3i, "it's perfectly normal". Used on its own, tbi3i serves as a reply meaning "of course, obviously". The feminine is tbi3ia. The common opposite is mouch tbi3i, which can also express admiration ("incredible"). Neutral register, borrowed from Standard Arabic but in everyday use. The digit 3 in the spelling represents the 'ayn.
Example
هذا عسل طبيعي، جبتو من الريف
hedha 3sal tbi3i, jebtou mel rif
“This is natural honey, I brought it back from the countryside.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tbi3i” but also “tabi3i”, “tbii3i” and “tbi3y”. 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 “tbi3i” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “normal, ordinary”; “natural, additive-free”: tabi3i in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “natural, without artifice”; “normal, logical”: tbi3i in Algerian.