7esba حسبة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7esba” (حسبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning calculation, count.
Meanings
- calculation, count
- total, bill to pay
Usage
Ḥsba refers to a calculation or a count, and in particular the total of what one has to pay. The phrase dakhel fel ḥsba means "included in the price, included in the bill". For example, at a hotel you ask whether breakfast is dakhel fel ḥsba. Similarly, one says ʿmal el ḥsba, "do the calculation". It should be distinguished from ḥsab, "account" in the more general and banking sense. The word is colloquial and used every day.
Example
الفطور داخل في الحسبة والا لا؟
el ftour dakhel fel 7esba walla le?
“Is breakfast included in the bill or not?”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7esba” but also “7sba”, “hesba”, “7asba” and “7assaba”. 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.