bel7sab بلحساب
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“bel7sab” (بلحساب) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning with measure, without excess.
Meanings
- with measure, without excess
- carefully, in a calculated way
Usage
Bel7sab is formed from the preposition b- and l7sab, "the count, the calculation". It is used mainly to advise moderation: eating, spending or talking without excess. It almost always follows the verb, as in kul bel7sab, "eat in moderation". It can also describe someone cautious who calculates every move or expense. The register is common and informal. The English gloss "statistical" is misleading: in darija, the word has no technical meaning related to statistics. Do not confuse it with l7sab used alone, which means the account or the bill.
Example
صرف بلحساب، راه الشهر باقي طويل.
sref bel7sab, rah ch-chher ba9i twil.
“Spend carefully, the month is still long.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bel7sab” but also “bl7sab” and “bl7ssab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.