doub دوب

Tunisian Derja · adverb

“doub” (دوب) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning barely, as soon as.

Meanings

1. barely, as soon as
2. just, narrowly

Usage

Doub is a very common adverb in Tunisian. Followed by ma and a verb, it means "barely... when" or "as soon as": doub ma wsolt ("as soon as I arrived"). Used alone or doubled, doub doub, it means "just, narrowly". This word has nothing to do with "melt": that verb is dheb or dweb, and the English gloss "melt" comes from a confusion with that root. The register is colloquial and neutral. Doub is heard in all milieus.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “doub” but also “dob”, “doubb” and “douba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “doub” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to melt (something)”; “to dissolve (in a liquid)”: dowweb in Moroccan.