iqbel اقبال
Tunisian Derja · noun
“iqbel” (اقبال) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning crowds, high demand.
Meanings
- crowds, high demand
- craze for something
Usage
Iqbel comes from the standard register, but it is common among shopkeepers and in the media. It refers to customers flocking in or to public interest: "famma iqbel kbir 3al soldes" (there is a big turnout for the sales). It is often used in the negative to complain: "ma 3adech famma iqbel" (there are no customers anymore). The word takes 3la or 3al. Iqbal is also a first name; context is enough to tell them apart.
Example
ما عادش فما إقبال عالحوايج كيما قبل.
ma 3adech famma iqbel 3al 7wayej kima 9bal.
“There's no longer the demand for clothes there used to be.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “iqbel” but also “i9bel”, “e9bel” and “iqbal”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 9 is qaf (ق), a k pronounced at the back of the throat.