nsib نصيب
Tunisian Derja · noun
“nsib” (نصيب) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning destiny, what is written for someone.
Meanings
- destiny, what is written for someone
- share, portion due to someone
Usage
Nsib refers to what fate holds in store for each person, especially in love and marriage: ma fammech nsib, "it wasn't meant to be", said of a relationship that did not work out. It is often associated with mektoub. The word is also used in the concrete sense of "share", as in men nsib, "to fall to someone" (a prize, a reward). The register is common and neutral. Pitfall: in Tunisian, nsib written with a plain s ("brother-in-law, son-in-law, in-laws") is a different word. In arabizi, the two are often spelled the same way, and only context tells them apart.
Example
حبيتها برشا أما ما كانش فما نصيب
7abbitha barcha ama ma kanech famma nsib
“I loved her a lot, but it wasn't meant to be.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “nsib” but also “nasib”, “naseeb”, “nsiib” and “neseb”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.