bi3a بيعة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“bi3a” (بيعة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning sale, a sale.
Meanings
- sale, a sale
- deal, transaction
Usage
Bi3a refers to a sale or a one-off transaction. It is very often heard in the expression bi3a w chriya, "buying and selling", which refers to trade in general. A good bi3a is a good deal. The word is common in the souk and in conversations about money. It belongs to the same family as ba3, "to sell", and ychri, "to buy". It is a feminine singular noun. It is also used figuratively, when someone "sells out" a person or a cause for personal gain.
Example
عملت بيعة باهية اليوم في السوق
3malt bi3a behya lyoum fi souk
“I made a good sale today at the market.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “bi3a” but also “bey3a” and “bi3aa”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.