9bila قبيلة
Moroccan Darija · noun
“9bila” (قبيلة) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning tribe.
Meanings
- tribe
- a moment ago, earlier
Usage
In the sense of "tribe", 9bila (plural 9bayel) refers to a group bound by origin and territory. It is used to talk about family origins: "mn ina 9bila nta?" ("which tribe are you from?"). The word is mostly used in rural settings or when discussing a family's roots. Beware of the homograph, pronounced 9bila or 9bayla: it is a very common adverb meaning "a moment ago, earlier", for example "jit 9bila" ("I came a moment ago"). Only context tells the two apart.
Example
جدي كان شيخ القبيلة
jeddi kan chikh l9bila
“My grandfather was the chief of the tribe.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9bila” but also “qbila”, “9abila” and “kbila”. 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 “9bila” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “tribe”; “clan, group of related families”: qbila in Algerian.
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.