Listomania
12 Times You Hear ‘Habibi’ In Lebanon That Have Nothing To Do With Love
Despite literally meaning “my love,” the word “Habibi” is unfortunately not always an expression of endearment. In order to help you decode this unique word, here are 12 times you’ll hear “habibi” in Lebanon that have absolutely nothing to do with love.
1. The passive aggressive habibi/habibti
“Eh habibi, khalesna sho fi?”
You went out at 8:00am to run errands and that old cranky mwazaf bel wizara was not having it.
2. The actually aggressive HABIBI lamma te3la2 ma3 hada
“LAAAA HABIBI MEEN MFAKKAR HALAK?“
3. The “Habibi! Come to Lebanon” ad
The expats gholto w sadda2o the ad.
4. The m3allem el shawarma finally handing you the glorious shawarma sandwich extra toum (aka the love of your life)
“Tfdal habibi, sahtein” 3A ALBAK.
5. The foreigners in Lebanon learning the one Lebanese word they could use everywhere
“Khah-bee-bee, right?”
They also looked up “How to pronounce Habibi” on google and practiced using this video.
6. The cab driver trying to have small talk with you
Let’s take a shot every time he says habibi.
7. You’re asking the waiter for the check that’s about to render you broke AF
“Habibi, el hseb eza bitreed” *Intense sweating*
8. You forgot the name of the person you’re talking to and you can’t bring yourself to remember anything
The inner monologue of “Is it Jad or Ahmad?” while attentively nodding your head to the person will have you blurting out “Eh, habibi” to save you from the embarrassment.
9. You just got a speeding ticket
“Eh habibi, wen el daftar? Bdna ne3zbak tsof 3a janab”
10. Things unexpectedly got extremely messy for you aka msibe
“Ya habibiiii, mn wen ejtna hl msibe hay”
11. You just heard jaw-dropping khbar
“YA HABIBIIIIII”
Please note that the “ya habibi” in #10 is EXTREMELY different than in #11. This one has extra spice.
12. The dekkeneh guy when he asks you what you want
Can I just have my kilo batata and leave?
Wanna check our own take on the Habibi/Habibte usage? Here are 11 Times It Was Acceptable For The Dekkeneh Guy To Call Me Habibte.
1. The passive aggressive habibi/habibti
“Eh habibi, khalesna sho fi?”
You went out at 8:00am to run errands and that old cranky mwazaf bel wizara was not having it.
2. The actually aggressive HABIBI lamma te3la2 ma3 hada
“LAAAA HABIBI MEEN MFAKKAR HALAK?“
3. The “Habibi! Come to Lebanon” ad
The expats gholto w sadda2o the ad.
4. The m3allem el shawarma finally handing you the glorious shawarma sandwich extra toum (aka the love of your life)
“Tfdal habibi, sahtein” 3A ALBAK.
5. The foreigners in Lebanon learning the one Lebanese word they could use everywhere
“Khah-bee-bee, right?”
They also looked up “How to pronounce Habibi” on google and practiced using this video.
6. The cab driver trying to have small talk with you
Let’s take a shot every time he says habibi.
7. You’re asking the waiter for the check that’s about to render you broke AF
“Habibi, el hseb eza bitreed” *Intense sweating*
8. You forgot the name of the person you’re talking to and you can’t bring yourself to remember anything
The inner monologue of “Is it Jad or Ahmad?” while attentively nodding your head to the person will have you blurting out “Eh, habibi” to save you from the embarrassment.
9. You just got a speeding ticket
“Eh habibi, wen el daftar? Bdna ne3zbak tsof 3a janab”
10. Things unexpectedly got extremely messy for you aka msibe
“Ya habibiiii, mn wen ejtna hl msibe hay”
11. You just heard jaw-dropping khbar
“YA HABIBIIIIII”
Please note that the “ya habibi” in #10 is EXTREMELY different than in #11. This one has extra spice.
12. The dekkeneh guy when he asks you what you want
Can I just have my kilo batata and leave?
Wanna check our own take on the Habibi/Habibte usage? Here are 11 Times It Was Acceptable For The Dekkeneh Guy To Call Me Habibte.
