In this lesson, we will talk about how to tell the time in Moroccan Arabic (with audio), it’s one of the skills that we practice daily in our conversations, so we will see how to talk about time, how to say o’clock, quarter to, and more, let’s get started!
How To Tell The Time In Moroccan Arabic
To tell the time, you can use one of the two ways:
- Raha (it is -feminine) + the definite article: Raha lkhamsa (it’s five)
- Hadi (demonstrative feminine pronoun) + the definite article + the appropriate number: hadi lkhamsa ( it’s five)
As we have seen in the lesson about the definite article, for 1:00, 5:00, 10:00, and 11:00 we will use L , for the rest we will double the first letter.
Note: o’clock in Darija is “nishan/waqfa/pil” but you may just say the hour without it, so lkhamsa nishan and lkhamsa are both correct.
AUDIO:
| English | Transcribed Moroccan Arabic | Using Arabic Alphabet |
| it’s one o’clock | raha lwehda/ hadi lwehda | راها الوحدة |
| it’s two o’clock | raha jjuj | راها الجوج |
| it’s three o’clock | raha ttlata | راها التلاتة |
| it’s four o’clock | raha rrb3a | راها الربعة |
| it’s five o’clock | raha lkhamsa | راها الخمسة |
| it’s six o’clock | raha ssetta | راها الستة |
| it’s seven o’clock | raha sseb3a | راها السبعة |
| it’s eight o’clock | raha ttmanya | راها التمنية |
| it’s nine o’clock | raha ttes3a | راها التسعة |
| it’s ten o’clock | raha l3eshra | راها العشرة |
| it’s eleven o’clock | raha l7dash | راها الحضاش |
| it’s twelve o’clock | raha ttnash | راها الطناش |
Note: you can practice what you’ve learned here, and learn how to pronounce each of the words in our Memrise course here, don’t know how to use the platform or sign up? we’ve got you covered in this easy-to-follow tutorial here.
Useful Darija Vocabulary About Time
Sh7al sa3a? what time is it? شحال الساعة؟
A quarter past.. : … w rba3 (…و ربع)
3:15 : ttlata w rba3
A quarter to … : …qel rba3 (…قل ربع)
5:45 ssetta qel rba3 (الستة قل ربع)
And.. : w/o (و)
At… : m3a.. (مع..)
At 5 : m3a lkhamsa (مع الخمسة)
Before : qel قل
Five minutes : qsm قسم
Half : ness نص
Half an hour : ness sa3a نص ساعة
11:30 l7dash w ness الحضاش و نص
Hour : sa3a ساعة
Hours : swaye3 سوايع
Minute : dqiqa دقيقة
Minutes : dqayeq دقايق
Quarter : rba3 ربع
Second : taniya تانية
Seconds : tawani تواني
Ten minutes : qesmayn قسمين
Note: Don’t get overwhelmed by these words, knowing them will make you seem more “Moroccan” but you can also say “raha ttnash w 3eshra” (12:10) instead of “raha ttnash w qesmayn” (I do that too!) start with the quarter for now.
Parts of the day:
Sbah : morning الصباح
… am : .. dyal ssbah ديال الصباح
10:00 am : l3eshra dyal ssbah العشرة ديال الصباح
You can use dyal ssbah from sunrise to 12 pm
L3shiya : the afternoon العشية
1:00 pm : lwehda dyal l3shiya الوحدة ديال العشية
Use dyal l3shiya from 1 pm to sunset.
Lil: night الليل
…pm : … dyal lil ديال الليل
9:00 pm : ttes3a dyal lil التسعة ديال الليل
You can use dyal lil from sunset to sunrise
Moroccan Arabic Time-Telling Guide
Quiz
- What are the two ways to express “it is” when telling time in Moroccan Arabic? Provide an example for each.
- When is the definite article “L” used when saying the hour? When is the first letter of the number doubled?
- Translate the following into Moroccan Arabic: “It’s nine o’clock.”
- How do you say “quarter past” in Moroccan Arabic? Give an example of how it is used in a time phrase.
- How do you express “quarter to” in Moroccan Arabic? Provide an example.
- Translate the following into Moroccan Arabic: “a quarter to five.”
- What are the Moroccan Arabic words for “morning,” “afternoon,” and “night”?
- Explain how to specify the time of day when expressing time in Moroccan Arabic. Provide an example for each part of the day.
- What are two ways to express “12:10” in Moroccan Arabic?
- Translate the following into English: “Raha sseb3a w rba3.”
Answer Key
- The two ways to express “it is” are “Raha” and “Hadi” followed by the definite article. Examples: “Raha lkhamsa” (It’s five) and “Hadi lkhamsa” (It’s five).
- The definite article “L” is used for 1:00, 5:00, 10:00, and 11:00. For all other hours, the first letter of the number is doubled.
- “It’s nine o’clock” in Moroccan Arabic is “Raha ttes3a” or “Hadi ttes3a.”
- “Quarter past” in Moroccan Arabic is “w rba3.” For example, “3:15” is “ttlata w rba3.”
- “Quarter to” is expressed as “qel rba3.” An example is “5:45,” which is “ssetta qel rba3.”
- “A quarter to five” in Moroccan Arabic is “khamsa qel rba3.”
- “Morning” is “Sbah,” “afternoon” is “L3shiya,” and “night” is “Lil.”
- To specify the time of day, add “dyal ssbah” for morning (sunrise to 12 pm), “dyal l3shiya” for afternoon (1 pm to sunset), and “dyal lil” for night (sunset to sunrise) after the time. For example, “10:00 am” is “l3eshra dyal ssbah.” “2:00 pm” is “jjuj dyal l3shiya.” “9:00 pm” is “ttes3a dyal lil.”
- “12:10” can be expressed as “Raha ttnash w 3eshra” or “Raha ttnash w qesmayn” in Moroccan Arabic.
- “Raha sseb3a w rba3” translates to “It’s quarter past seven.”
Happy learning!
Oualid Cheddadi is a language enthusiast who created Lingualid with the mission to inspire independent language learners worldwide, regardless of the language they are learning. The name “Lingualid” is derived from the Portuguese word for “language,” “língua,” and the last three letters of Oualid’s name, “Lid.”
