nouba نوبة

Tunisian Derja · noun

“nouba” (نوبة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning turn (whose turn it is).

Meanings

1. turn (whose turn it is)
2. time, once
3. fit, attack (of illness)

Usage

Nouba first refers to a turn in a queue or a rotation: en-nouba mte3i (it's my turn), stanna noubtek (wait your turn). It is also used in the sense of "time": nouba (once, formerly), nouba okhra (another time). It also refers to a fit or an attack, as in nouba mta3 sokkor or a nervous attack. Finally, nouba is the name of a classical musical form and the title of a famous Tunisian TV series. In that last case it is a proper noun, which context makes clear.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nouba” but also “nawba”, “noba”, “nuba” and “nouuba”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

Type “nouba” on the Arabic keyboard