beb باب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“beb” (باب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning door.
Meanings
- door
- gate, city gate
Usage
Beb is the usual word for "door". The Tunisian pronunciation is beb, with a very open a close to è. The plural is bibén or bwèb. You say 7all el beb for "open the door" and sakkar el beb for "close the door". Sakkar el beb fi wejhou means "to slam the door in someone's face", including figuratively. The word appears in many place names, notably the gates of the medina of Tunis (Beb Bhar, Beb Souika). It is also used figuratively: beb el rezq (a source of livelihood), beb mesdoud (a dead end).
Example
كي يتكلّم شبّاب تسكّر في وجهه ال باب ,
ki yetkellem chebeb tsakkar fi wejhou el beb ,
“When a young person speaks, the door is slammed in his face.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “beb” but also “bab” and “bèb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “beb” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “door”; “gate (of a city)”: bab in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “door”; “gate, city gate”: bab in Algerian.