Language/Kabyle/Vocabulary/Telling-time
In this lesson, you will learn how to tell time in Kabyle, including hours, minutes, and different parts of the day. As a Kabyle language teacher with 20 years of experience, I will illustrate the lesson with cultural information and interesting facts, providing a comprehensive understanding of how time is expressed in the Kabyle language.
Expressing hours and minutes
In Kabyle, it is common to use the 24-hour clock system when telling the time. Therefore, since the day is divided into 24 hours, you will learn how to tell time from 00:00 (midnight) to 23:59. To tell the time, we use the word "tamurt" which means "hour" and "tusdat" which means "minute" along with the numbers you learned in the previous lesson.
In this table, you will find the Kabyle vocabulary for hours and their pronunciation:
| Kabyle | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| țțamurț | țța-murț | one hour (1:00) |
| sinin tamurt | si-nin ta-murt | two hours (2:00) |
| krḍin tamurt | kar-ḍin ta-murt | three hours (3:00) |
| kḍudin tamurt | ka-ḍudin ta-murt | four hours (4:00) |
| samusin tamurt | sa-mu-sin ta-murt | five hours (5:00) |
| sdisin tamurt | s-di-sin ta-murt | six hours (6:00) |
| ssa'in tamurt | s-saʔin ta-murt | seven hours (7:00) |
| temin tamurt | te-min ta-murt | eight hours (8:00) |
| ttizin tamurt | țți-zin ta-murt | nine hours (9:00) |
| ɛśrin tamurt | ɛś-rin ta-murt | ten hours (10:00) |
| ɛśρnin tamurt | ɛś-ρnin ta-murt | eleven hours (11:00) |
| ɛśαinin tamurt | ɛś-αinin ta-murt | twelve hours (12:00) |
To express minutes, you simply add the number of minutes after the hour. For example, "sinin tamurt d tusdat" means "two hours and one minute" (2:01).
Different parts of the day
In Kabyle, the day is divided into different parts. Knowing these expressions will help you understand when certain events or activities take place during the day.
Here is a list of the different parts of the day in Kabyle:
- Asefud: Morning (from sunrise to noon)
- Ṛebbi: Afternoon (from noon to sunset)
- Lḥeskel: Evening (from sunset to nightfall)
- LṢeru: Night (from nightfall to sunrise)
These terms may be combined with the hours to indicate the specific part of the day. For example, "sinin tamurt n asefud" means "two hours in the morning" (2:00 AM) while "sinin tamurt n ṛebbi" means "two hours in the afternoon" (2:00 PM).
Asking for and telling the time
When asking for the time in Kabyle, the most common question used is "Awin i tetskared tamurt?" which means "What time is it?" To answer this question, you simply say the hour and minute followed by the proper part of the day, if necessary.
Examples:
- Awin i tetskared tamurt? (What time is it?)
- Krḍin tamurt d tusdat n ṛebbi (It is three hours and one minute in the afternoon - 3:01 PM)
- Ttizin tamurt n asefud (It is nine hours in the morning - 9:00 AM)
Practice
Now that you have learned how to tell time in Kabyle, it's time for some practice! Translate the following times into Kabyle:
- 6:30 AM
- 8:45 PM
- 12:00 (noon)
- 4:15 AM
- 11:30 PM
Answers:
1. Sdisin tamurt d tlita tusdat n asefud 2. ṰṰimin tamurt d ḥemsa d rbɛa tusdat n lḥeskel 3. ɛśrin tamurt n ṛebbi (it can also be called "ẓuhr" in religious settings) 4. Kḍudin tamurt d kṛemsa tusdat n asefud 5. ɛśnin tamurt d tlita tusdat n lṢeru
In this lesson, you have learned how to tell time in Kabyle, including hours, minutes, and different parts of the day. Keep practicing and expressing time in your daily conversations to master this skill. By using this knowledge, you can plan your day, make appointments, or share the time with others in the Kabyle language.