rbo3 ربع
Tunisian Derja · noun
“rbo3” (ربع) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning quarter, fourth part.
Meanings
- quarter, fourth part
- quarter of an hour
- a quarter (of a whole)
Usage
Rbo3 is the usual word for "quarter". It is used mostly for telling the time. "El wa7da w rbo3" means a quarter past one. "El khamsa ghir rbo3" means a quarter to five: ghir means "minus". "Rbo3 se3a" means a quarter of an hour. It is also used for quantities, for example "rbo3 kilo" or "rbo3 el khobza", a quarter of the loaf. The plural "rbo3" is rare in conversation. Be careful not to confuse rbo3 with "arba3a", the number four, which sounds similar.
Example
نستناك ربع ساعة قدام القهوة
nestannek rbo3 se3a 9odem el 9ahwa
“I'll wait for you for a quarter of an hour in front of the café.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “rbo3” but also “rob3”, “rbou3”, “rba3”, “rbo3e” and “lerbo3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Its Arabic spelling is not fixed either: you will find ربع and الربع, all the same word.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 3 is ayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent.
Type “rbo3” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “quarter (fraction)”; “quarter of an hour, quarter past”: rbe3 in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “quarter, fourth part”; “quarter of an hour (in telling time)”: rob3 in Algerian.