Learn Hardcore Arabic (Levantine): صاحبي اسف.

Breakdown of صاحبي اسف.

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What does the ending -ي in صاحبي do?

It is the possessive suffix meaning my.

So:

In Levantine, attaching -ي directly to a noun is a very common way to say possession.

Is صاحبي a normal Levantine way to say my friend?

Yes. صاحبي is very natural in colloquial Levantine and often feels like my friend, my buddy, or my mate.

A more formal or Standard Arabic way would be صديقي. So:

Why is there no word for is in the sentence?

Because Arabic usually drops the present-tense verb to be.

So صاحبي اسف literally looks like:

but it means:

This is totally normal in Arabic nominal sentences.
If you wanted past tense, then a verb would appear, for example with كان (was).

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