yarab ياارب
Tunisian Derja · interjection
“yarab” (ياارب) is an interjection in Tunisian Derja meaning let's hope, God willing.
Meanings
- let's hope, God willing
- oh God! (invocation)
Usage
An invocation used mostly to express a wish: "ya rab nenja7" (let me succeed, I hope). It is placed at the start or end of a sentence, and the vowels are often stretched in writing for emphasis ("yaaaarab"). In Tunisia, the most natural spoken form is "ya rabbi". "Ya rab", shorter, is mostly common in writing, online and in good wishes. Depending on intonation, the expression also conveys weariness or exasperation ("ya rabbi chbih!", oh God, what's wrong with him!). It is not used as a curse word, and there is nothing vulgar about it.
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yarab” but also “yarabi” and “yaarab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.