bi ب
Moroccan Darija · preposition
“bi” (ب) is a preposition in Moroccan Darija meaning with, by means of.
Meanings
- with, by means of
- in a manner: in, with
- by (one by one)
Usage
A very common preposition expressing instrument (kteb b stilo, "write with a pen") or manner (b zerba, "in a hurry"). It also appears in fixed phrases: chwiya b chwiya, "little by little", wa7ed b wa7ed, "one by one". It attaches to the following word and takes pronoun suffixes: bih, biha, bik. Pitfall for an English speaker: for accompaniment ("with someone"), m3a is used instead; b mainly marks the means or the manner.
Example
درتو ب زربة
dertou b zerba
“I did it in a hurry.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bi” but also “b”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “bi” on the Arabic keyboard
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “with, by means of”; “by (means of transport)”: bi in Algerian.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “with, by means of”; “by, in (manner, means)”: bi in Tunisian.