صعب
sa'b
The English word 'hard' is translated into Arabic as صعب (sa'b).
صعب is used to describe something that requires a lot of effort to do or understand. To say something is 'very hard', you can add the word جدًا after it, resulting in صعب جدًا.
Meaning: requiring a lot of effort to do or understand (adj)
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse صعب with other meanings of 'hard' in English. If you mean 'hard' in the sense of being harsh or severe, such as a harsh person, use قاسٍ. If you mean 'hard' in terms of physical solidity, such as a rock, use صلب.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes based on the gender and number of the noun it describes. Use the feminine form صعبة for feminine nouns and the broken plural form صعاب to describe multiple difficult things.
How do you pronounce it?
sa'b
Did you know?
- Arabic has a specific term مستحيل for 'impossible', but speakers often use صعب to politely imply that something is actually impossible without saying so directly.
- When describing a 'hard' task, if it is extremely complex, you might hear people use words related to 'entanglement' rather than just adding 'very' to صعب.
- The word صلب is used for 'hard' in a physical sense, which is the root for the Arabic word for 'solid' or even 'steel' in certain contexts.
Examples in context
- إيجاد سامى ليس صعبFinding Sami isn't hard.This sentence uses صعب to show that finding someone is not difficult.Tatoeba #7528477 by Ahmad_Elshwoair, translation #6378911 by OsoHombre
- كان ذلك صعب التصديق.That was hard to believe.This sentence uses صعب to describe something that is hard to believe.Tatoeba #372802 by saeb, translation #31430 by CK
- دروس سامي صعبة للغاية.Sami's classes are hard as fuck.This sentence uses صعب to describe how difficult some classes are.Tatoeba #7278306 by OsoHombre, translation #7202522 by OsoHombre
- كان امتحان الفيزياء صعب جدًا.The physics exam was very hard.
- الدراسة في الجامعة كانت شاقة جدًا.Studying at university was very hard.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sara and Omar are discussing a difficult math exam.
- سارة Saraهل كان الامتحان صعب؟Hal kana al-imtihaan sa'b?Was the exam hard?
- عمر Omarنعم، كان صعب جداً.Na'am, kana sa'b jiddan.Yes, it was very hard.
- سارة Saraأنا أجد الرياضيات صعبة.Ana ajidu al-riyadiyat sa'ba.I find math hard.
- عمر Omarلا تقلقي يا سارة، الأمر ليس مستحيلاً.La taqlaqi ya Sara, al-amr laysa mustahilan.Don't worry Sara, it is not impossible.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
