douba دوبة
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“douba” (دوبة) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning as soon as, barely.
Meanings
- as soon as, barely
- just now
Usage
Douba marks that an action has just happened or immediately triggers another. In "douba ma tokhroj...", it renders as "barely had she gone out when...". Placed before a verb, it also signals an action that has barely begun. Usage is colloquial and oral, and more marked in some regions. Pitfall for an English speaker: the "ma" that follows is not a negation, it is a linking particle. Do not translate it as "not".
Example
دوبة ما وصل، بدا يطلب في الماكلة.
douba ma wsel, bda yotlob fil makla.
“Barely had he arrived when he started asking for food.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “douba” but also “doba”, “dowba” and “doubba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.