Telling Time

Learn the hour forms and the words used for minutes, halves and quarters.

Reading the Latin spelling

This is a simplified learning transcription adapted from the source, not a phonetic alphabet. sh = ش, kh = خ, gh = غ, 3 = ع, and 7 = ح. The numbers represent sounds. Dotted ṣ, ṭ and ḍ mark emphatic consonants; doubled letters indicate a longer consonant. Regional pronunciation and spelling can vary.

Hour forms

To tell the time, begin with hadi and use the hour with the definite article. In the source, the article remains l- before one, five, ten and eleven. Before the other hour forms it is pronounced with the following consonant, shown here by a repeated letter.

• One

  الوحدة

  l-w7da

• Two

  الجوج

  j-juj

• Three

  التلاتة

  t-tlata

• Four

  الربعة

  r-rb3a

• Five

  الخمسة

  l-khmsa

• Six

  الستة

  s-stta

• Seven

  السبعة

  s-sb3a

• Eight

  التمنية

  t-tmnya

• Nine

  التسعود

  t-ts3ud

• Ten

  العشرة

  l-3shra

• Eleven

  الحضاش

  l-7ḍash

• Twelve

  الطناش

  ṭ-ṭnash

Time expressions

• Before / to

  قل

  ql

• And / past

  و

  u

• Exactly

  نيشان

  nishan

• A quarter

  ربع

  rb3

• Twenty minutes

  تلت

  tulut

• Half

  نص

  nṣ

• A quarter to

  لا رُب

  lla rob

• Five minutes

  قسم

  qṣm

• Ten minutes

  قسمين

  qṣmayn

These are the time expressions taught in this source. The next lesson shows them in complete examples.

Source and audio

Adapted for LearnLahja from Peace Corps/Morocco, Basic Introduction to Arabic, lesson 22 (PDF page 17). English learning notes, layout and simplified Latin spelling are editorial adaptations. LearnLahja is independent and is not endorsed by Peace Corps.

Audio unavailable. The source names a recording covering lessons 22–24, but no playable recording has been verified for this lesson.