w rbo3 و ربع
Tunisian Derja · expression
“w rbo3” (و ربع) is an expression in Tunisian Derja meaning and a quarter (time).
Meanings
- and a quarter (time)
Usage
W rbo3 is used to tell the time, right after the number: tlatha w rbo3, "a quarter past three". The other reference points follow the same logic: w nos, "half past", and ella rbo3, "a quarter to". The hour can be preceded by el se3a ("it is") or by m3a, "around": m3a xemsa w rbo3, "around a quarter past five". The expression also applies to durations: se3a w rbo3, "an hour and a quarter". The word rbo3 on its own means "a quarter".
Example
الساعة ثلاثة و ربع
el se3a tlatha w rbo3
“It is a quarter past three.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “w rbo3” but also “ou rbo3”, “w rob3”, “wa roba3” and “w robe3”. 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 “w 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 past (time)”: o rb3 in Moroccan.