dba دبا
Moroccan Darija · adverb
“dba” (دبا) is an adverb in Moroccan Darija meaning now, at present.
Meanings
- now, at present
- so, well (to restart)
Usage
Dba is a shortened form of daba, the quintessentially Moroccan adverb for "now". It is heard in rapid speech and widely seen online. It also serves as a linking word to continue or restart a thought: dba chno ghadi ndiro? (so, what are we doing?). Daba is typically Moroccan and often lets you recognize a Moroccan speaker. Frequent construction: daba daba, "right away". The word is also often shortened to db in writing.
Example
نتا دبا غير دايف
nta dba ghir dayf
“You, now, you're just a guest.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dba” but also “daba”, “db” and “dab”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “dba” on the Arabic keyboard
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “to take one's first steps, of a child”; “to move along slowly, in small steps”: dba in Tunisian.