cham is-sa3a?
– What’s the time (lit. How much the time?)
‘sa3a’
means both ‘hour’ and ‘watch, clock’.
Use
the feminine cardinal numbers:
is-sa3a
thintayn
– It’s two o’clock.
is-sa3a sitta – It’s six o’clock.
is-sa3a thimaanya – It’s eight o’clock.
x
wa rub3
– a quarter past x. (lit. and a quarter)
x wa thilth – twenty past x. (lit. and
a third.)
x wa nuSS – half past x. (lit. and a half.)
x
illa rub3 – a quarter to x. (lit. but a
quarter)
x illa thilth – twenty to x. (lit. but
a third.)
is-sa3a
ithna3ashr wa thilth
– it’s 12:20.
is-sa3a thalaatha wa nuSS – It’s
3:30.
is-sa3a 3ashra illa rub3 – It’s 9:45.
dagiiga,
pl. digaayig
– minute
“dagiiga/digaayig’ is usually not used when telling
the time, but it affects the gender you use when you say ‘five
past/to’ and ‘ten past/to’. Use the masculine:
is-sa3a
arba3a wa xams – It’s 4:05.
is-sa3a waa7da illa 3ashar – It’s
12:50.
To
be more specific in Arabic language, you can add one of the following time expressions:
iS-Sub7
– in the morning
ba3ad iDH-Dhuhur
– in the afternoon
il-3aSir
– late afternoon (4-6 o’clock)
il-layl – at night (‘layl’ is anytime when it’s
dark outside)
