tsbi9 تسبيق
Moroccan Darija · noun
“tsbi9” (تسبيق) is a noun in Moroccan Darija meaning down payment, deposit.
Meanings
- down payment, deposit
- advance on salary or payment
Usage
Tsbi9 refers to a sum paid in advance to reserve a good or a service: an apartment, a car, a reception hall, an order from a craftsman. The typical construction is "3ta tsbi9" (to pay a down payment) or "khlles tsbi9". The word can also mean an advance on salary. The register is ordinary and comes from commerce. It should be distinguished from the security deposit (a refundable guarantee), often called "dmana" or "caution". The tsbi9 is in principle deducted from the total price, not returned at the end.
Example
هاداك غير تسبيق
hadak ghir tsbi9
“That's only a down payment.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tsbi9” but also “tesbi9”, “tasbi9”, “tsbiq” and “tasbiq”. 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.