All About Sababa

Sababa, sababa, sababa. Everything in this country seems to be, well, sababa!

What is this special word, where does it come from, and how it is used?

Let's find out!

"Sababa" originates from the Arabic word tzababa, meaning "great or excellent" in spoken Arabic. Today, the word has made its way into mainstream Hebrerw slang, and quite frankly, it is probably the most used Hebrew word at this point!

Most situations call for the word sababa, and when not needed, you can always find a way to slip it in there! To understand Israeli culture, you have to understand sababa!

In Hebrew slang, "sababa" began as meaning "amazing" and has overtime evolved into something so much more. Today, it can really be really used as a response to many things, in place of "okay", "sounds good", "cool". It's both a state of being ("I am feeling sababa"), and an affirmative response (like a yes!).

Here are some examples to give you the gist:

"Do you want to come to the movies later?"

"Sababa"

"How are you doing? It has been a while!"

"I am sababa, thanks!"

"How was the party? it looked amazing"

"Yeah, it was really sababa!"

"I don't think this is going to work romantically, but I would love to stay friends"

"Sababa, I totally understand."

For all people living in Israel, sababa has definitely become a daily staple in our vocabulary, and it has seeped into our culture in so many other ways!

Many restaurants are called Sababa, as well as different brand names and stores! There are a few Israeli songs with "sababa" in them too... like Netta Barzilai's song Bassa Sababa.

Check it out here: