ta9riban تقريبا
Tunisian Derja · adverb
“ta9riban” (تقريبا) is an adverb in Tunisian Derja meaning almost, approximately.
Meanings
- almost, approximately
- roughly
Usage
Ta9riban is used to give an approximate quantity: "ta9riban miyat dinar", "about a hundred dinars". It also expresses an action that is almost complete: "ta9riban kmelt", "I have almost finished". It can come before or after what it qualifies. As an answer, it means "more or less, yes". The word comes from Standard Arabic but is very common in speech, alongside more colloquial synonyms such as "9rib" or "fi 7oudoud". The French "presque" is also frequently heard.
Example
قعدنا تقريبا ساعتين نستناو.
9a3adna ta9riban sa3tin nestanew.
“We waited about two hours.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “ta9riban” but also “taqriban”, “tkriban” and “ta9riba”. 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.
Type “ta9riban” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “approximately, about”; “almost”: t9riban in Moroccan.
In Algerian Darja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Algerian Darja, where it means “almost, roughly”; “approximately (with a number)”: ta9riban in Algerian.