When making plans, appointments, and travel arrangements in Arabic-speaking countries, knowing how to tell the Arabic time is essential. We’ve already posted an article about days in Arabic, so let’s cover the vocabulary and phrases you need to express the time in Arabic.
First, however, let’s get familiar with some vocabulary related to the concept of time in Arabic.
Essential Vocabulary for Time in Arabic
Here are some key words to get you started with expressing Arabic for time:
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Clock in Arabic | Saa’at haa’it | ساعة حائط |
| Time in Arabic | Waqt | وقت |
| Minute in Arabic | Daqeeqah | دقيقة |
| Hour in Arabic | Saa’ah | ساعة |
| Second in Arabic | Thaniyah | ثانية |
Parts of the Day in Arabic (أوقات اليوم)
To understand the clock in Arabic and express the time in Arabic, you’ll need to know these:
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Nighttime in Arabic | Waqt al-layl | وقت الليل |
| Daytime in Arabic | An-nahar | النهار |
| Morning in Arabic | Sabah | صباح |
| Noon in Arabic | Waqt adh-dhuheerah | وقت الظهيرة |
| Afternoon in Arabic | Ba’d adh-dhuhr | بعد الظهر |
| Sunset in Arabic | Al-maghrib | المغرب |
| Sunrise in Arabic | Shurooq ash-shams | شروق الشمس |
| Day in Arabic | Yawm | يوم |
| Night in Arabic | Layl | ليل |
| Evening in Arabic | Masaa’ | مساء |
| Half in Arabic | Nisf | نصف |
| Quarter in Arabic | Rub’ | ربع |
Asking What Time Is It? in Arabic (ما هو الوقت؟)
If you would like to ask someone What time is it? in Arabic, you should say:
- Kam as-saa’ah? | كم الساعة؟ | What time is it?
- Kam as-saa’ah al’aan? | كم الساعة الآن؟ | What time is it now?
It’s generally recommended to use the second phrase, kam as-saa’ah al’aan? because kam can also be used to ask about price, and the addition of al’aan (now) clarifies your intention.
Telling the Time: Hours
Telling the clock time in Arabic is relatively straightforward. Arabs use ordinal numbers for hours, except for one o’clock:
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| One o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah al-waahidah | الساعة الواحدة |
| Two o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah | الساعة الثانية |
| Three o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah ath-thaalithah | الساعة الثالثة |
| Four o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah ar-raabi’ah | الساعة الرابعة |
| Five o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah al-khaamisah | الساعة الخامسة |
| Six o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah as-saadisah | الساعة السادسة |
| Seven o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah as-saabi’ah | الساعة السابعة |
| Eight o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah ath-thaaminah | الساعة الثامنة |
| Nine o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah at-taasi’ah | الساعة التاسعة |
| Ten o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah al-‘aashirah | الساعة العاشرة |
| Eleven o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah al-haadiyah ‘ashrah | الساعة الحادية عشرة |
| Twelve o’clock in Arabic | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah ‘ashrah | الساعة الثانية عشرة |
Telling the Time: Minutes
To express minutes, Arabs use two prepositions:
- و /wa/ (and) – for minutes past the hour
- إلا /illa/ (except/to) – for minutes to the hour
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| Five past | wa khamsa daqaa’iq | وخمس دقائق |
| Ten past | wa ‘ashr daqaa’iq | وعشر دقائق |
| Quarter past | wa ar-rub’ | والربع |
| Twenty past | wa ath-thulth | والثلث |
| Half past | wa an-nisf | والنصف |
| Five to | illa khamsa daqaa’iq | إلا خمس دقائق |
| Ten to | illa ‘ashr daqaa’iq | إلا عشر دقائق |
| Quarter to | illa ar-rub’ | إلا الربع |
| Twenty to | illa ath-thulth | إلا الثلث |
Examples:
- 2:05 | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah wa khamsa daqaa’iq | الساعة الثانية وخمس دقائق | Two o’clock and five minutes
- 2:10 | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah wa ‘ashr daqaa’iq | الساعة الثانية وعشر دقائق | Two o’clock and ten minutes
- 2:15 | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah wa ar-rub’ | الساعة الثانية والربع | Two o’clock and a quarter
- 2:30 | As-saa’ah ath-thaaniyah wa an-nisf | الساعة الثانية والنصف | Two o’clock and a half
- 2:55 | As-saa’ah ath-thaalithah illa khamsa daqaa’iq | الساعة الثالثة إلا خمس دقائق | Three o’clock except five minutes (five to three)
- 2:45 | As-saa’ah ath-thaalithah illa ar-rub’ | الساعة الثالثة إلا الربع | Three o’clock except a quarter (quarter to three)
AM and PM (صباحاً / مساءً)
To further clarify the Arabic time, Arabs use:
- صباحاً /sabahan/ for AM
- مساءً /masaa’an/ for PM
Examples:
- 7:00 AM | As-saa’ah as-saabi’ah sabahاً | الساعة السابعة صباحاً | Seven o’clock AM
- 7:00 PM | As-saa’ah as-saabi’ah masaa’an | الساعة السابعة مساءً | Seven o’clock PM
Practical Examples
Here are some example sentences to help you use time in Arabic:
- What time is it? | Kam as-saa’ah? | كم الساعة؟
- It is 3 o’clock. | As-saa’ah ath-thaalithah. | الساعة الثالثة.
- The meeting is at 5:30 PM. | Al-ijtima’ fi al-khaamisah wa an-nisf masaa’an. | الاجتماع في الخامسة والنصف مساءً.
- I will arrive at 10:15 AM. | Sa’asilu fi al-‘aashirah wa ar-rub’ sabahاً. | سأصل في العاشرة والربع صباحاً.
Conclusion
This guide provides the tools you need to understand and express Arabic time effectively. Mastering these phrases will greatly enhance your ability to communicate in Arabic-speaking environments.
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