Time In Arabic (Guide To Master All Arabic Times)
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Knowing how to properly ask for and tell the time in Arabic is one of the most basic things you need to know.
Whether you are simply learning the language so you could use it on your upcoming travel to a Arabic-speaking country, or you’re planning to learn it all the way, telling the time in Arabic helps you avoid confusion in setting up meetings, appointments, or in keeping track of the time.
How To Say Time In Arabic
The Arabic word for time is pronounced waqt and written ﻭَﻗﺖ. Times in Arabic is pronounced ‘awqaat and written as ﺃَﻭﻗَﺎﺕ. For example leisure time is written as ﻭَﻗﺖُ ﺍَﻟﻔَﺮَﺍﻍِ and time to leave is written ﻭَﻗﺖُ ﺍَﻟﺬَّﻫَﺎﺏِ.
What Time Is It In Arabic?
To ask what time is it in Arabic, we should say كَم الساعَة؟ (kam al-sāʿah?) or كم الساعة الآن (kam assaa’ah al’aan?) which means What time is it now?
How To Ask Time In Arabic
To express the statement ‘what is the time’, one should say كَم الساعَة؟. In the reply, الساعَة is the first word while the number form will follow it.
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There are different ways of saying, “What time did you go to the school or any other place, or what time are you going or will go”?
For example, if it is said, متى تذهب إلى المدرسة؟
The response will be اذهب الى المدرسة في الساعة العاشرة والنصف
Meaning: I am going or will go to the school at half past ten.
Telling Time In Arabic
Telling the time in Arabic is very easy as Arabs use ordinal numbers with hours, except one o’clock, as follows:
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12 o’clock in Arabic
12 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الثانية عشرة and pronounced assaa’ah athaaniyah ‘ashra.
1 o’clock in Arabic
1 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الواحدة and pronounced assaa’ah alwaahidah.
2 o’clock in Arabic
2 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الثانية and pronounced assaa’ah athaaniyah.
3 o’clock in Arabic
3 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الثالثة and pronounced assaa’ah athaalithah.
4 o’clock in Arabic
4 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الرابعة and pronounced assaa’ah arraabi’ah.
5 o’clock in Arabic
5 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الخامسة and pronounced assaa’ah alkhaamisah.
6 o’clock in Arabic
6 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة السادسة and pronounced assaa’ah assaadisah.
7 o’clock in Arabic
7 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة السابعة and pronounced assaa’ah assaabi’ah.
8 o’clock in Arabic
8 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الثامنة and pronounced assaa’ah athaaminah.
9 o’clock in Arabic
9 o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة التاسعة and pronounced assaa’ah attaasi’ah.
10 o’clock in Arabic
Ten o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة العاشرة and pronounced assaa’ah al’aashirah.
11 o’clock in Arabic
Eleven o’clock in Arabic is written as الساعة الحادية عشرة and pronounced assaa’ah alhaadiyah ‘ashra.
The table below is the summary of how to tell time in Arabic.
| English | Transliteration | Arabic |
|---|---|---|
| One o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah alwaahidah | الساعة الواحدة |
| Two o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah athaaniyah | الساعة الثانية |
| Three o’clock in Arabic | assaas’ah athaalithah | الساعة الثالثة |
| Four o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah arraabi’ah | الساعة الرابعة |
| Five o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah alkhaamisah | الساعة الخامسة |
| Six o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah assaadisah | الساعة السادسة |
| Seven o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah assaabi’ah | الساعة السابعة |
| Eight o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah athaaminah | الساعة الثامنة |
| Nine o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah attaasi’ah | الساعة التاسعة |
| Ten o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah al’aashirah | الساعة العاشرة |
| Eleven o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah alhaadiyah ‘ashra | الساعة الحادية عشرة |
| Twelve o’clock in Arabic | assaa’ah athaaniyah ‘ashra | الساعة الثانية عشرة |
Note: You should add صباحا (morning or AM) or مساءً (afternoon or PM) at the end of the expressions to indicate the exact time i.e AM or PM.
Time Expressions In Arabic
- o’clock (بالضبط) أو تماماً
- Half Past والنصف
- Quarter Past وربع
- Quarter to إلا ربعاً
To say ‘past’ in Arabic, we use ‘و‘ which comes after the hour, so half past two in Arabic would literally be ‘two o’clock and a half’ الساعة الثانية والنصف.
| past | و |
| Five past | وخمس دقائق |
| Ten past | وعشر دقائق |
| Quarter past | والربع |
| Twenty past | والثلث |
| Half past | والنصف |
To say ’to’ in Arabic, we use ‘إلا which comes after the hour, so ‘quarter to three’ in Arabic would literally be ‘three o’clock less a quarter’ الساعة الثالثة إلا ربعاً
| To | إلا |
| Five to | إلا خمس دقائق |
| Ten to | إلا عشر دقائق |
| Quarter to | إلا ربعاً |
| Twenty to | إلا ثلثاً |
Examples
- It is precisely one o’clock ….. الساعة واحدة تماماً
- It is a quarter past one …. الساعة واحدة و ربع
- It is one forty five ….. الساعة واحدة و ثلاثة ارباع
- It’s quarter to two ….. الساعة اثنتان إلى ربعاً
- It is ten past one ….. الساعة واحدة وعشر دقائق
Vocabulary For Arabic Times
Here are the important things you need to know about telling times in Arabic.
Clock In Arabic
Clock in Arabic is pronounced as Saa’a and written as ساعة while clocks is pronounced as saa’aat and written ساعات. Note that the word ساعة also means watch, one hour, an a moment and wait for a little while.
This word has been used for Qiyāmah (day of resurrection) as well in the Qur’an.
Minute in Arabic
Minute in Arabic is pronounced Daqeeqah and written as دقيقة while minutes in Arabic language is pronounced as daqaa’iq and written دقائق.
Second In Arabic
The word ثانيه (pronounciation thaniyah) is used for second in Arabic while ثوان is used for seconds in Arabic.
Nighttime in Arabic
The Arabic word for nighttime is pronounced Waqt illayl and written as وقت الليل.
Daytime in Arabic
The Arabic word for daytime is written as النهار and the pronunciation is Annahaar.
Morning in Arabic
The Arabic word for morning is صباح and the pronunciation is sabaah.
Noon in Arabic
We use the phrase وقت الظهيرة for noon in Arabic and the pronunciation is Waqt adhaheera.
Afternoon in Arabic
The phrase use for afternoon in Arabic is written بعد الظهر and transliterated as Ba’d adhuhur .
Sunset in Arabic
The Arabic word for sunset is المغرب and the pronunciation is Al maghrib.
Sunrise in Arabic
The phrase for sunrise in Arabic is pronounced as Shurooq a’shams and written شروق الشمس.
Day in Arabic
The Arabic word for day is written يوم and pronounced as Yaum. Days in Arabic is written أيام and pronounced ayyam.
Night in Arabic
The word for night in Arabic is ليل and pronounced as Layl. The Arabic word for night is written as ليالى and the pronunciation is layaal.
Evening in Arabic
The Arabic word for evening is pronounced Masaa’ and written as مساء.
Half in Arabic
The Arabic word for half is written نصف and the pronunciation is Nisf.
Quarter in Arabic
We say Ruba’ for the word quarter in Arabic and the Arabic text is ربع.
AM In Arabic
The Arabic word for AM is written as صباحا and is transliterated as sabaahan.
PM In Arabic
PM in Arabic is pronounced as masaa’n and written as مساءً.
The table below summarized Arabic vocabulary for times.
| Arabic | English |
| الفجر | Dawn |
| شروق الشمس | Sunrise |
| الصباح | Morning |
| قبل الظهر | Before noon |
| الظهيرة | Noon |
| بعد الظهر | After noon |
| غروب الشمس | Sunset |
| المساء | Evening |
| الليل | Night |
| منتصف الليل | Mid night |
| في الصباح | In the morning |
| الصباح الباكر | Early-morning |
| في المساء | In the evening |
| المساء المتأخر | Late-evening |
| في النهار | At daytime |
| في الليل | At night |
| هذا اليوم | Today |
| هذه الليلة | Tonight |
| كل اليوم | All day |
| كل الليلة | All night |
| غدًا | Tomorrow |
| البارحة | Yesterday |
| بعد غد | Day after tomorrow |
| قبل البارحة | Day before |
| الليلة الماضية | Last night |
| الليلة القادمة | Next night |
| كل يوم | Every day |
| كل ليلة | Every night |
| الأسبوع القادم | Next week |
| في يوم من الأيام | In a day |
| الأسبوع الماضي | Last week |
| في أسبوع | In a week |
| في شهر | In a month |
| الشهر الماضي | Last month |
| الشهر التالي | Next month |
| في سنة | In a year |
| السنة الماضية | Last year |
| السنة القادمة | Next year |
Vocabulary And Time Expressions In Arabic
| Arabic | English |
| فُسْحَة ; مُتّسَعٌ مِنَ الوَقْت | enough time |
| شِدّة; وَقْتٌ عَصِيب | crucial time |
| أجَل; مَوْعِد; مَوْقِت; مُدّة | appointed time |
| مَرّةً أُخْرَى; ثانِياً | another time |
| فُسْحَة ; مُتّسَعٌ مِنَ الوَقْت | ample time |
| قَتَلَ الوَقْتَ; قَطَعَ الوَقْتَ | kill time |
| مَوْسِمُ الحَصَاد | harvest time |
| أجّل ; أمَدّ ; أمْهَل | give someone time |
| تَبَاطَأَ | gain time |
| بِطَالَة ; وَقْتُ (أوْقاتُ) الفَرَاغ | free time |
| راوَحَ مَكَانَهُ ; راوَحَ الخُطَى | mark time |
| أخّرَتِ السّاعَةُ ; أبْطَأتِ السّاعَةُ | lose time |
| وَقْتٌ طَوِيل ; دَهْر | long time |
| تَوْقِيتٌ مَحَلّيّ | local time |
| أجَل ; أمَد ; مُدّة | limited time |
| جُزْئِيّ | part-time |
| ذاتَ مَرّة ; دُفْعَة; طَرْقَة; مَرّة | one time |
| في وَقْتِهِ ; في حِيْنِه | on time |
| زَمَنِيّ; وَقْتِيّ | of time |
| مُرَاوَحَةُ (كَذَا) مَكَانَهُ; مُرَاوَحَةُ الخُطَى | marking time |
| حَيّن ; وَقّت | time: (verb) |
| بُرْهَة ; عُجَالَة ; لَحْظَة ; هُنَيْهَة | short time |
| مُجَدّداً ; ثانِياً | second time |
| أمْس | recent time |
| غِرَاس | planting time |
| دَيْنٌ… إلخ) ; مُقَسَّطٌ (دَفْعَةٌ… | time payment |
| فُسْحَة ; مُتّسَعٌ مِنَ الوَقْت | time margin |
| مُهْلَة | time limit |
| قِدَم | time immemorial |
| مَوْلِد ; مِيْلاد | time date |
| قَتَلَ الوَقْتَ ; أضَاعَ الوَقْتَ | waste time |
| وحدة الزمن | unit time |
| تالِد ; قَدِيم | time-honored |
| مُجَرّب ; مُخْتَبَر | time-tested |
| إشَارَةُ (ضَبْطِ) الوَقْت | time signal |
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