9abel قابل
Tunisian Derja · verb
“9abel” (قابل) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to meet, be received by someone.
Meanings
- to meet, be received by someone
- to face, be opposite
- liable to (formal register)
Usage
As a verb, 9abel is used mainly for a formal meeting with someone in authority: "9ablet el mdir", "I was received by the director". It is also used for a job interview. In the spatial sense, the pronunciation gabel, "opposite" or "to face", is often heard: "dar gabel el b7ar", "a house facing the sea". The adjectival value ("9abel lel…", "liable to") belongs to Standard Arabic and the media, not to conversation. Do not confuse it with 9bal, "before".
Example
غدوة باش نقابل المدير
ghodwa bech n9abel el mdir
“Tomorrow I'm going to meet the director.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “9abel” but also “qabel”, “kabel”, “gabel” and “9ebel”. 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.