How to Tell Time in Arabic: Hours, Minutes, and What Time Is It?

You tell time in Arabic by starting with the word السّاعة (as-saaʿa, “the hour/clock”) and adding a number, so “it’s three o’clock” is السّاعةُ الثّالِثة (as-saaʿatu ath-thaalitha). To ask the time, say كَمِ السّاعة؟ (kam is-saaʿa?), literally “how much is the hour?” For minutes, add وَالنِّصْف (wa an-niSf, “and a half”) or وَالرُّبْع (wa ar-rubʿ, “and a quarter”) after the hour.

This guide covers telling time in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the shared form understood across the Arab world. Every entry comes with its Arabic script, transliteration, and meaning, so you can both ask the time and answer it naturally.

How do you ask what time it is in Arabic?

You ask what time it is with كَمِ السّاعة؟ (kam is-saaʿa?), which uses the question word كَم (kam, “how much/how many”). The reply always begins with السّاعة (as-saaʿa) followed by the hour.

Because كَم is one of the core Arabic question words, this phrase also builds on the same pattern you use to ask other questions — see our guide to question words in Arabic for the full set.

How do you say the hours in Arabic?

You say the hour with السّاعة plus a feminine ordinal number (first, second, third, and so on). The ordinals are feminine because they agree with ساعة (saaʿa), which is a feminine noun — that is why “three o’clock” uses الثّالِثة (ath-thaalitha, “third”), not the counting number ثَلاثة (thalaatha, “three”).

These ordinals are the same feminine forms you would use elsewhere, so learning your Arabic numbers 1 to 100 first makes the clock much easier to read.

How do you add minutes, half, and quarter?

You add minutes by joining them to the hour with وَ (wa, “and”), and you subtract them with إِلّا (illaa, “except/to”). Arabic marks the half, third, and quarter of an hour with their own words rather than counting every minute.

So “half past four” is الرّابِعة وَالنِّصْف (ar-raabiʿa wa an-niSf), “quarter past five” is الخامِسة وَالرُّبْع (al-khaamisa wa ar-rubʿ), and “quarter to eight” is الثّامِنة إِلّا رُبْعًا (ath-thaamina illaa rubʿan). The word for “minute” is دَقيقة (daqiiqa), and its plural is دَقائِق (daqaaʾiq).

How do you say a.m. and p.m. in Arabic?

You mark the part of the day by adding a time word after the hour, since Arabic clocks are usually read on a 12-hour basis in speech. The most common markers are صَباحًا (SabaaHan, “in the morning”) and مَساءً (masaaʾan, “in the evening”).

For example, “seven a.m.” is السّاعة السّابِعة صَباحًا (as-saaʿa as-saabiʿa SabaaHan) and “nine p.m.” is السّاعة التّاسِعة مَساءً (as-saaʿa at-taasiʿa masaaʾan).

What does telling time look like in a full sentence?

A time sentence in Arabic follows a fixed order: the hour, then minutes, then the part of the day. Here are natural examples you can reuse by swapping the number:

• السّاعة الآن الثّالِثة وَالنِّصْف (as-saaʿa al-aan ath-thaalitha wa an-niSf) — “It’s now half past three.”
• السّاعة العاشِرة إِلّا رُبْعًا صَباحًا (as-saaʿa al-ʿaashira illaa rubʿan SabaaHan) — “It’s quarter to ten in the morning.”
• الاجْتِماع في السّاعة الواحِدة ظُهْرًا (al-ijtimaaʿ fii as-saaʿa al-waaHida Zuhran) — “The meeting is at one o’clock at noon.”

To say when something happens, start the time with في (fii, “at/in”): في السّاعة الثّامِنة (fii as-saaʿa ath-thaamina, “at eight o’clock”). Pair these with the days of the week and months in Arabic and you can fix any appointment: a day, a date, and a time.

How do you make Arabic time expressions stick?

You make time expressions stick by using them daily — reading the real clock in Arabic and reviewing each hour and fraction just before you would forget it. Reading a table once is not enough; the words settle in when you meet them again on a schedule.

That is exactly how Kalam Daily works: a new word every day, native-speaker audio so you learn each hour by ear, and spaced repetition that plans your reviews for you. Start by naming the current time in Arabic every time you check your phone this week, add the half and quarter next, and telling time will soon feel automatic. When you are ready for more, follow the step-by-step Arabic learning path.