dba دبا

Tunisian Derja · verb

“dba” (دبا) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to take one's first steps, of a child.

Meanings

1. to take one's first steps, of a child
2. to move along slowly, in small steps

Usage

The verb dba is used mainly for a small child starting to move about on its own, after crawling and before truly walking. It is heard mostly in a fixed formula from folk tales and oral storytelling: "hba, dba, chadd fil hit w mcha" (he crawled, he toddled, he held on to the wall, then he walked). This formula sums up a character's early childhood before the story continues. Outside this formula, the word is less common in conversation. Note: it has nothing to do with "daba" (now), a word from another dialect that is not used in this sense in Tunisia.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “dba” but also “dbe”, “dbé” and “dabba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “dba” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “now, at present”; “so, well (to restart)”: dba in Moroccan.