yechbah شبه
Tunisian Derja · verb
“yechbah” (شبه) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to resemble, look like.
Meanings
- to resemble, look like
- to mistake someone for another
Usage
A very common verb, mostly in the imperfect: yechbah, techbah, nechbah. It is most often used with the preposition l-: "yechbah l bouh" (he looks like his father), "techbah l ommha" (she looks like her mother). It is used for physical appearance as well as for character, and also in the sense of "to remind one of". In the past tense, the verb takes another meaning: to mistake someone for another person. Do not confuse this verb with chebh, which means "quasi-" in Standard Arabic (chebh jazira, "peninsula"). That word belongs to the written language and to geographical names, as in the name of Cap Bon.
Example
ولدك يشبه لبوه برشا
wildek yechbah l bouh barcha
“Your son looks a lot like his father.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “yechbah” but also “ychbah”, “chbah”, “yechbeh” and “chabah”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.