qbila قبيلة
Algerian Darja · noun
“qbila” (قبيلة) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning tribe.
Meanings
- tribe
- clan, group of related families
- gang, group (humorous)
Usage
Qbila refers to a tribe, that is, a group of families claiming a common ancestor. The word is still alive in Algeria, especially in rural, steppe and Saharan regions, where tribal affiliation still matters in marriages and local affairs. The plural is qbayel. In cities and online, the word is often used jokingly for a group of friends or a fan community: qbilet... Pitfall: lqbayel (plural with the article) is also commonly used for the Kabyles, and qbayli means "Kabyle". Context resolves the ambiguity.
Example
هادوك الناس من نفس القبيلة.
hadouk ennas men nefs le9bila.
“Those people are from the same tribe.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “qbila” but also “9bila”, “kbila”, “gbila” and “qabila”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.
Type “qbila” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “tribe”; “a moment ago, earlier”: 9bila in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “a while ago, a short time ago”; “tribe”: 9bila in Tunisian.