tba3 طبع

Tunisian Derja · verb

“tba3” (طبع) is a verb in Tunisian Derja meaning to print.

Meanings

1. to print
2. to stamp, to mark
3. temperament, nature (noun tab3)

Usage

The verb tba3, imperfect yetba3, means "to print": tba3 el-wra9a, "he printed the sheet". With a complement introduced by li, it is often used for a request: tba3li, "print for me". It can also mean "to stamp" or "to mark". Beware of the homograph tab3, which is a noun. It refers to someone's character or nature: tab3ou khayeb, "he has a bad temper". It is found in the expression tab3 w tbi3a. Arabic script does not distinguish the two words. Only pronunciation and context tell you which one is meant.

Example

How to write it in Latin letters

In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “tba3” but also “taba3”, “tbe3”, “etba3” and “tab3”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.

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 “tba3” on the Arabic keyboard

In Moroccan Darija

Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “to print (a document)”; “to stamp”: tbe3 in Moroccan.