Language/Egyptian-arabic/Vocabulary/Telling-Time
In this lesson, we will learn how to tell time in Egyptian Arabic. Time-telling can seem complicated at first, but with some practice, you will be able to do it easily.
The basics
To tell the time in Egyptian Arabic, the following formula is used:
"hour" + "w" + "minutes"
For example: "saa'a wa khamsa" means 5:00.
The word "saa'a" means hour, the letter "w" means "and", and "khamsa" means five.
Here are some Arabic numbers to get you started:
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| واحد | waahid | one |
| اثنين | ithnayn | two |
| ثلاثة | thalaatha | three |
| أربعة | arba'a | four |
| خمسة | khamsa | five |
| ستة | sitta | six |
| سبعة | sab'a | seven |
| ثمانية | thamaaniya | eight |
| تسعة | tisa'a | nine |
| عشرة | asharah | ten |
In addition, to say "half past" the hour, use the word "nus" which means "half". For example, if it is 2:30 you can say "saa'a tnatyn nus".
For quarter past or quarter to the hour, use "rub'" which means quarter. For example, if it is 3:15, you can say "saa'a thalaathah wa rub'a" meaning "three and a quarter". If it is 3:45, you can say "arba'a wa rub'a" meaning "four and a quarter".
AM and PM
In Egyptian Arabic, there is no specific phrase like "AM" or "PM" to indicate morning or evening. Instead, to indicate morning, you can use the word "صباح" (sabaah) which means 'morning'; and for evening, you can use the word "مساء" (masaa') which means 'evening'.
So, 7 AM is simply "saa'a sabaah sab'a", and 7 PM is "saa'a masaa'ya sab'a".
Examples
Let's take a look at some examples to help you practice:
- 1:00 - "saa'a waahda"
- 2:45 - "saa'a ethnaayn wa khamsa wa rub'a"
- 6:30 - "saa'a sitta wa nus"
- 12:15 - "saa'a ashara wa khamsa wa rub'a"
Keep practicing and you will get better and better.
Conclusion
That's it for this lesson on telling time in Egyptian Arabic. Remember to practice regularly so that you can master this skill.
Sources
Related Lessons
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