tasbi9a تسبقة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“tasbi9a” (تسبقة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning advance, deposit.
Meanings
- advance, deposit
- salary advance
Usage
Tasbi9a refers to a sum paid in advance, either a deposit on a purchase or rental, or an advance on salary. It is used with the verbs khallas (to pay), 3ta (to give) or khdha (to take). Examples: khallast tasbi9a (I paid a deposit), tasbi9a 3al chahriya (an advance on the salary). The word is common in speech as well as in Tunisian administrative and banking vocabulary. It should not be confused with a security deposit: the tasbi9a is deducted from the final price and is not refunded.
Example
خلّصت تسبقة على الكرهبة والباقي بالتقسيط.
khallast tasbi9a 3al karhba wel be9i bet-ta9sit.
“I paid a deposit on the car and the rest in installments.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tasbi9a” but also “tesbi9a”, “tasbiqa” and “tasbi9”. 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.