Telling Time in Arabic: Hours, Minutes, and Common Phrases

Knowing how to tell time in Arabic is one of the most practical skills you can develop as a language learner. Whether you're scheduling a meeting in Cairo, catching a bus in Beirut, or simply making conversation with an Arabic speaker, talking about time is essential in daily life. In this guide, you'll learn how to read an Arabic clock, express hours and minutes, and use common time-related phrases with confidence.

Before diving in, make sure you're comfortable with Arabic numbers 1–100, since telling time in Arabic relies heavily on your number knowledge. You can also browse the full Arabic numbers listing on our site for quick reference.

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Why Learning Time in Arabic Matters

Time expressions appear in nearly every conversation — from arranging appointments to discussing daily routines. In Arabic-speaking countries, punctuality and scheduling are communicated with specific vocabulary that differs slightly from English patterns. For example, Arabic uses a unique grammatical structure when expressing half-hours and quarter-hours that English speakers find interesting.

Mastering time in Arabic also unlocks a deeper understanding of Arabic grammar and sentence structure. If you want to build on the basics, check out our guide to Arabic grammar basics.

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Asking "What Time Is It?" in Arabic

The first phrase every learner needs is how to ask for the time. Here are the most common ways:

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
كَمِ السَّاعَةُ؟	Kami as-sā'a?	What time is it?
مَا السَّاعَةُ؟	Mā as-sā'a?	What is the time?
كَم الوَقْتُ؟	Kam al-waqt?	What time is it? (informal)

The word السَّاعَة (as-sā'a) means both "the hour" and "the clock/watch" in Arabic — a useful word to know! The word الوَقْت (al-waqt) means "time" in a general sense.

To answer, you say:

السَّاعَةُ... (As-sā'atu...) — "It is... o'clock" (literally, "The hour is...")

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The Hours: Telling O'Clock in Arabic

In Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the hours follow an ordinal number pattern for 1 and 2, and cardinal numbers for 3 through 12. Here's a full table:

Time	Arabic	Transliteration
1:00	السَّاعَةُ الوَاحِدَة	As-sā'atu al-wāḥida
2:00	السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَة	As-sā'atu ath-thāniya
3:00	السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَة	As-sā'atu ath-thālitha
4:00	السَّاعَةُ الرَّابِعَة	As-sā'atu ar-rābi'a
5:00	السَّاعَةُ الخَامِسَة	As-sā'atu al-khāmisa
6:00	السَّاعَةُ السَّادِسَة	As-sā'atu as-sādisa
7:00	السَّاعَةُ السَّابِعَة	As-sā'atu as-sābi'a
8:00	السَّاعَةُ الثَّامِنَة	As-sā'atu ath-thāmina
9:00	السَّاعَةُ التَّاسِعَة	As-sā'atu at-tāsi'a
10:00	السَّاعَةُ العَاشِرَة	As-sā'atu al-'āshira
11:00	السَّاعَةُ الحَادِيَة عَشَرَة	As-sā'atu al-ḥādiya 'ashara
12:00	السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَة عَشَرَة	As-sā'atu ath-thāniya 'ashara

Important note: Arabic uses ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) for the hours, not cardinal numbers (one, two, three...). This is different from English and is one of the reasons Arabic time-telling has its own distinct flavor.

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Adding Minutes in Arabic

Once you know the hours, you can add minutes using two key words:

• وَ (wa) — "and" — used to add minutes after the hour
• إِلَّا (illā) — "except/minus" — used to subtract minutes before the next hour

Minutes Past the Hour (Using وَ)

For times up to 30 minutes past the hour, use وَ + the number of minutes + دَقِيقَة (daqīqa, "minute") or دَقَائِق (daqā'iq, "minutes"):

Time	Arabic	Transliteration
3:10	السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَة وَعَشْر دَقَائِق	...ath-thālitha wa 'ashr daqā'iq
5:20	السَّاعَةُ الخَامِسَة وَعِشْرُون دَقِيقَة	...al-khāmisa wa 'ishrūn daqīqa
7:05	السَّاعَةُ السَّابِعَة وَخَمْس دَقَائِق	...as-sābi'a wa khams daqā'iq

Minutes Before the Hour (Using إِلَّا)

For times from 31–59 minutes past the hour, Arabic counts down to the next hour:

Time	Arabic	Transliteration
3:50	السَّاعَةُ الرَّابِعَة إِلَّا عَشْر دَقَائِق	...ar-rābi'a illā 'ashr daqā'iq
6:45	السَّاعَةُ السَّابِعَة إِلَّا رُبْع	...as-sābi'a illā rub'
9:55	السَّاعَةُ العَاشِرَة إِلَّا خَمْس دَقَائِق	...al-'āshira illā khams daqā'iq

This "counting down" structure can feel counterintuitive at first, but with practice it becomes second nature.

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Half Past, Quarter Past, and Quarter To

Arabic has elegant single words for these common time expressions:

Expression	Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
Half past	وَنِصْف	wa niṣf	and a half
Quarter past	وَرُبْع	wa rub'	and a quarter
Quarter to	إِلَّا رُبْع	illā rub'	minus a quarter

Examples:

• 2:30 → السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَة وَنِصْف (As-sā'atu ath-thāniya wa niṣf) — Half past two
• 4:15 → السَّاعَةُ الرَّابِعَة وَرُبْع (As-sā'atu ar-rābi'a wa rub') — Quarter past four
• 8:45 → السَّاعَةُ التَّاسِعَة إِلَّا رُبْع (As-sā'atu at-tāsi'a illā rub') — Quarter to nine
• 1:30 → السَّاعَةُ الوَاحِدَة وَنِصْف (As-sā'atu al-wāḥida wa niṣf) — Half past one

These three expressions — نِصْف, رُبْع, and إِلَّا رُبْع — will cover a huge number of real-world time references, so memorize them early!

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AM and PM in Arabic

Arabic uses descriptive time-of-day words rather than the AM/PM system. Here are the key terms:

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning	Approximate Time
صَبَاحًا	ṣabāḥan	in the morning	~6 AM – 12 PM
ظُهْرًا	ẓuhran	at noon / midday	~12 PM
بَعْدَ الظُّهْر	ba'da aẓ-ẓuhr	in the afternoon	~12 PM – 4 PM
مَسَاءً	masā'an	in the evening/PM	~4 PM – 9 PM
لَيْلًا	laylan	at night	~9 PM – 6 AM

Examples in context:

• السَّاعَةُ الثَّامِنَة صَبَاحًا — As-sā'atu ath-thāmina ṣabāḥan — 8 o'clock in the morning (8 AM)
• السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَة بَعْدَ الظُّهْر — ...ba'da aẓ-ẓuhr — 3 o'clock in the afternoon (3 PM)
• السَّاعَةُ العَاشِرَة لَيْلًا — ...laylan — 10 o'clock at night (10 PM)

These time-of-day words are also used independently in greetings. For example, صَبَاح الخَيْر (ṣabāḥ al-khayr) means "Good morning." Learn more common expressions in our Arabic greetings and phrases guide.

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Common Time-Related Vocabulary

Here are essential time words you'll encounter frequently:

Arabic	Transliteration	English
الوَقْت	al-waqt	time
السَّاعَة	as-sā'a	hour / clock / watch
الدَّقِيقَة	ad-daqīqa	minute
الثَّانِيَة	ath-thāniya	second
اليَوْم	al-yawm	today
غَدًا	ghadan	tomorrow
أَمْسِ	amsi	yesterday
الآن	al-ān	now
بَكِير	bakīr	early
مُتَأَخِّر	muta'akhkhir	late
مُنْتَصَف اللَّيْل	muntaṣaf al-layl	midnight
الظُّهْر	aẓ-ẓuhr	noon

You can explore more essential vocabulary in our 100 most common Arabic words guide or browse our full Arabic vocabulary categories.

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Useful Time Phrases and Sentences

Here are practical phrases you can use in real conversations:

Asking about time:

• مَتَى يَبْدَأ الاجْتِمَاع؟ (Matā yabda' al-ijtimā'?) — When does the meeting start?
• مَتَى يَصِل القِطَار؟ (Matā yaṣil al-qiṭār?) — When does the train arrive?

Expressing punctuality:

• أَنَا فِي الوَقْت المُحَدَّد (Anā fī al-waqt al-muḥaddad) — I am on time.
• أَنَا مُتَأَخِّر (Anā muta'akhkhir) — I am late. (said by a male)
• أَنَا مُتَأَخِّرَة (Anā muta'akhkhira) — I am late. (said by a female)

Scheduling:

• هَل أَنْتَ حُرٌّ السَّاعَة الثَّالِثَة؟ (Hal anta ḥurrun as-sā'ata ath-thālitha?) — Are you free at 3 o'clock?
• سَنَلْتَقِي السَّاعَة الخَامِسَة وَنِصْف (Sanaltaqī as-sā'ata al-khāmisa wa niṣf) — We will meet at 5:30.

Expressing urgency:

• لَيْسَ لَدَيْنَا وَقْت (Laysa ladaynā waqt) — We don't have time.
• لَدَيْنَا وَقْت كَافِي (Ladaynā waqt kāfī) — We have enough time.

For more useful phrases, especially for travel situations, don't miss our essential Arabic phrases for travelers.

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Dialect Differences: How Time Is Told Across the Arab World

While the MSA structure above is universally understood, spoken dialects vary:

• Egyptian Arabic: Uses إيه (ēh) informally, and the structure is similar but pronunciation differs. "What time is it?" becomes السَّاعَة كَام؟ (as-sā'a kām?)
• Levantine Arabic: In Lebanon and Syria, قَدِّيش السَّاعَة؟ (qaddēsh as-sā'a?) is common.
• Gulf Arabic: You might hear الوَقْت كَم؟ (al-waqt kam?)

The number words themselves also vary. In some dialects, cardinal numbers (one, two, three) replace ordinal numbers (first, second, third) when telling time. This is especially common in casual speech.

Learn more about how Arabic varies geographically in our guide to Arabic dialects explained.

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Practice Examples: Reading the Arabic Clock

Let's put it all together with a set of practice sentences:

Clock Time	Full Arabic Sentence	Transliteration
1:00 AM	السَّاعَةُ الوَاحِدَة صَبَاحًا	As-sā'atu al-wāḥida ṣabāḥan
6:30 AM	السَّاعَةُ السَّادِسَة وَنِصْف صَبَاحًا	...as-sādisa wa niṣf ṣabāḥan
12:00 PM	السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَة عَشَرَة ظُهْرًا	...ath-thāniya 'ashara ẓuhran
2:15 PM	السَّاعَةُ الثَّانِيَة وَرُبْع بَعْدَ الظُّهْر	...ath-thāniya wa rub' ba'da aẓ-ẓuhr
7:45 PM	السَّاعَةُ الثَّامِنَة إِلَّا رُبْع مَسَاءً	...ath-thāmina illā rub' masā'an
10:50 PM	السَّاعَةُ الحَادِيَة عَشَرَة إِلَّا عَشْر لَيْلًا	...al-ḥādiya 'ashara illā 'ashr laylan

Try reading each one aloud — pronunciation is key, and you can learn more about reading Arabic in our guide to how to write Arabic.

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Tips for Mastering Time in Arabic

1. Start with the hours. Learn all 12 ordinal hour words before moving to minutes.
2. Memorize the three key fraction words: نِصْف (half), رُبْع (quarter), and their combinations.
3. Practice the "illā" countdown: Saying 6:50 as "10 minutes before 7" takes mental adjustment — drill it daily.
4. Label your clocks. Put sticky notes with Arabic time expressions on clocks around your home.
5. Use Arabic numbers confidently. Review our Arabic numbers guide or the numbers page regularly.
6. Listen to Arabic media. News broadcasts frequently mention times and schedules — great listening practice!
7. Speak it aloud. Every time you check the clock during the day, say the time in Arabic.

For more learning strategies, see our article on how to learn Arabic fast.

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Quick Reference Summary

Here's your cheat sheet for time in Arabic:

• What time is it? → كَمِ السَّاعَةُ؟
• It is [hour] o'clock → السَّاعَةُ [ordinal number]
• [X] minutes past → السَّاعَةُ [hour] وَ [minutes] دَقِيقَة
• [X] minutes to → السَّاعَةُ [next hour] إِلَّا [minutes] دَقِيقَة
• Half past → وَنِصْف
• Quarter past → وَرُبْع
• Quarter to → إِلَّا رُبْع
• AM (morning) → صَبَاحًا
• PM (afternoon/evening) → بَعْدَ الظُّهْر / مَسَاءً

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Conclusion

Telling time in Arabic is a skill that combines number knowledge, ordinal vocabulary, and a few elegant grammatical structures. Once you internalize the patterns — especially the use of وَ for minutes past and إِلَّا for minutes to — you'll find that time expressions flow naturally in conversation.

The key is consistent practice. Challenge yourself to think in Arabic every time you glance at a clock. Over days and weeks, these phrases will become automatic. Combine this with a solid understanding of Arabic sentence structure and the most common Arabic words, and you'll be communicating confidently in no time — pun intended!

Explore more Arabic vocabulary by topic in our words section, and keep building your foundation with our full range of beginner resources on arabic123.com.