A1Unit 4 · Numbers, time and the market · Lesson 36 of 100
What time is it?
ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa? · is-sāʿa tisʿa w rubʿ · ana mitʾakhkher
Goal: Ask and tell the time, and say at what time something happens.
Dialogue
The Arabic class starts at nine, but Sam is not there yet. You will learn to ask "What time is it?", to tell the time with minutes, quarters and halves, and to say that you are late.
Tuesday morning at the language school. The Arabic class starts at nine, and Sam's chair is empty.
- Teacherṣabāḥ il-khēr, ya Līna. wēn Sām?Good morning, Lina. Where is Sam?
- Linama baʿrafsh, ya ustāz. ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa?I don't know, sir. What time is it?
- Teacheris-sāʿa tisʿa w rubʿ.It's a quarter past nine.
- LinaSām, inte wēn? id-dars is-sāʿa tisʿa!(On the phone.) Sam, where are you? The lesson is at nine!
- Samāsef, ana fiṭ-ṭarīʾ. fī zaḥme ktīr!Sorry, I'm on the way. There's a lot of traffic!
- Linayalla, bsurʿa!Come on, quickly!
- Samṣabāḥ il-khēr, ya ustāz! āsef, ana mitʾakhkher.(Sam comes into the classroom.) Good morning, sir! Sorry, I'm late.
- Teacherṣabāḥ in-nūr. ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa hallaʾ, ya Sām?Good morning. What time is it now, Sam?
- Samis-sāʿa tisʿa w nuṣṣ illa khamse.It's twenty-five past nine.
- Teacheryaʿni mitʾakhkher khamse w ʿishrīn daʾīʾa! bukra, is-sāʿa tisʿa illa tult fiṣ-ṣaff!So you're twenty-five minutes late! Tomorrow, in the classroom at twenty to nine!
New words
| Palestinian Arabic | English |
|---|---|
| sāʿa | hour; clock, watch; o'clockpl. sāʿāt; ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa? what time is it? |
| daʾīʾa | minutepl. daʾāyeʾ |
| rubʿ | quarterw rubʿ quarter past; illa rubʿ quarter to |
| tult | third; twenty minutes (in telling the time)w tult twenty past; illa tult twenty to |
| illa | minus, to (in telling the time); exceptkhamse illa tult twenty to five |
| ayy | whichayya sāʿa? at what time? |
| iḍ-ḍuhr | noonbaʿd iḍ-ḍuhr in the afternoon |
| baʿd | afterbaʿd il-ghada after lunch |
| mitʾakhkher | latef. mitʾakhkhre, pl. mitʾakhkhrīn |
| bsurʿa | quickly, fast |
| ṣaff | class, classroom; rowpl. ṣfūf |
| ustāz | teacher; sir (polite address)f. ustāze, pl. asātze; ya ustāz! sir! |
Grammar
1. What time is it?
Ask ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa? Answer with is-sāʿa and the number. sāʿa is feminine, so one and two o'clock use the feminine forms: is-sāʿa waḥde, is-sāʿa tintēn. The other hours use the counting numbers: is-sāʿa talāte, is-sāʿa ḥdaʿsh.
2. Minutes: "and" and "minus"
Add minutes with w "and", take them away with illa "minus". A quarter is rubʿ, a half is nuṣṣ, and twenty minutes is tult, a third of an hour.
| Time | Palestinian Arabic |
|---|---|
| 9:05 | tisʿa w khamse |
| 9:10 | tisʿa w ʿashara |
| 9:15 | tisʿa w rubʿ |
| 9:20 | tisʿa w tult |
| 9:25 | tisʿa w nuṣṣ illa khamse |
| 9:30 | tisʿa w nuṣṣ |
| 9:35 | tisʿa w nuṣṣ w khamse |
| 9:40 | ʿashara illa tult |
| 9:45 | ʿashara illa rubʿ |
| 9:50 | ʿashara illa ʿashara |
| 9:55 | ʿashara illa khamse |
Around the half hour, count from the half: 9:25 is "nine and a half minus five".
3. At what time?
Ask ayya sāʿa? "At" needs no word: is-sāʿa tisʿa is "it's nine" and also "at nine". Add the time of day after it.
Sound: the ḍ of iḍ-ḍuhr is a deep, dark d.
Practice
1Choose the right words
It's a quarter past nine.
w rubʿ is "quarter past"; illa rubʿ is "quarter to".
It's one o'clock.
Hours take the feminine: waḥde.
What time is tisʿa w nuṣṣ illa khamse?
Half past nine minus five minutes.
You are a man, and you arrive late. You say:
A woman says āsfe, ana mitʾakhkhre.
2Complete the sentence
is-sāʿa ___ w tult. = It's twenty past two.
Hours take the feminine: tintēn.
is-sāʿa ʿashara ___ rubʿ. = It's a quarter to ten.
is-sāʿa talāte baʿd ___ = at three in the afternoon
3Match the times
waḥde w rubʿ
khamse w nuṣṣ
sitte illa tult
tamānye w ʿashara
tnaʿsh illa khamse
4Put the words in order
What time is it now?
The lesson is at nine.
5Say it in Palestinian Arabic, then check
It's half past seven.
is-sāʿa sabʿa w nuṣṣ.
It's twenty to four.
is-sāʿa arbaʿa illa tult.
6True or false?
The Arabic lesson starts at nine.
Sam arrives at a quarter past nine.
He arrives at tisʿa w nuṣṣ illa khamse, twenty-five past nine.
Summary
- You can ask ʾaddēsh is-sāʿa? and tell the time: is-sāʿa tisʿa w rubʿ.
- You can add and take away minutes with w and illa: ʿashara illa tult.
- You can say at what time something happens: is-sāʿa talāte baʿd iḍ-ḍuhr.
- You can say that you are late: āsef, ana mitʾakhkher.