SkarpChapter 3 of 8
Numbers, Time, and Everyday Details
Learn to use numbers, time expressions, and basic descriptors so you can handle everyday details like saying the time, age, and prices.
New Words and Phrases: Numbers and Time
In this step, you will learn useful numbers and time expressions to talk about age, time, and simple details.
| Word | Pronunciation | Translation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| سِفر | sifr | zero (0) | رَقَم هاتفي يَبدَأ بِسِفر.(My phone number starts with zero.) |
| واحِد / واحْدة | wāḥid (m) / wāḥda (f) | one (1) | عِندي واحِد أَخ.(I have one brother.) |
| عَشَرة | ʿashara | ten (10) | عِندي عَشَرة كُتُب.(I have ten books.) |
| عِشْرين | ʿishrīn | twenty (20) | سِنّي عِشْرين سَنة.(My age is twenty years.) |
| السّاعة | as-sāʿa | the time / o’clock, the hour | كَم السّاعة الآن؟(What time is it now?) |
| الصَّباح | aṣ-ṣabāḥ | morning | أَستَيْقِظ السّاعة سِتّة في الصَّباح.(I wake up at six in the morning.) |
| الكَثير / قَليل | al-kathīr / qalīl | a lot / a little, few | عِندي الكَثير مِن العَمَل اليَوم، وَلَكِن عِندي وَقْت قَليل.(I have a lot of work today, but I have little time.) |
| غالي / رَخيص | ghāli / rakhīṣ | expensive / cheap | هذا الهاتِف غالي، لَكِن هَذا الكِتاب رَخيص.(This phone is expensive, but this book is cheap.) |
Language Pattern: Numbers with Age and Time
In this step, you learn how to use basic numbers with age and time.
1. Saying your age with numbers
A very common pattern is:
أنا + number + سَنة
ana + number + sana
Meaning: I am (number) years old.
Examples:
- أنا عِشْرين سَنة.
ana ʿishrīn sana
"I am twenty years old."
- أنا عَشَرة سَنين. (informal plural of years)
ana ʿashara sanīn
"I am ten years old."
You already know أنا (ana, "I"). Just add the number and سَنة (sana, "year"). In everyday speech, people may change the word for "years," but for now you can safely use سَنة after the number.
2. Asking about age
Use the question word كَم (kam, "how many/how much"):
- كَم سِنَّك؟
kam sinnak? (to a man)
"How old are you?"
- كَم سِنِّك؟
kam sinnick? (to a woman)
"How old are you?"
You can answer with the pattern above:
- كَم سِنَّك؟
أنا عِشْرين سَنة.
3. Asking and telling the time (on the hour)
Use السّاعة (as-sāʿa, "the time/the hour") plus a number.
Pattern:
- كَم السّاعة؟
kam as-sāʿa?
"What time is it?"
Answer with:
- السّاعة + number
Examples:
- السّاعة واحِدة.
as-sāʿa wāḥda
"It is one o’clock."
- السّاعة عَشَرة.
as-sāʿa ʿashara
"It is ten o’clock."
You can add parts of the day:
- السّاعة عَشَرة في الصَّباح.
as-sāʿa ʿashara fi aṣ-ṣabāḥ
"It is ten in the morning."
4. Simple adjectives for quantity and price
You can place adjectives like الكَثير (al-kathīr, "a lot") and قَليل (qalīl, "a little") after عِندي (ʿindī, "I have") to describe quantity.
- عِندي الكَثير مِن الوَقْت.
ʿindī al-kathīr min al-waqt
"I have a lot of time."
- عِندي وَقْت قَليل.
ʿindī waqt qalīl
"I have little time."
For price, use غالي (ghāli, "expensive") and رَخيص (rakhīṣ, "cheap") after the noun:
- هذا الكوب غالي.
hādhā al-kūb ghāli
"This cup is expensive."
- هذا الكوب رَخيص.
hādhā al-kūb rakhīṣ
"This cup is cheap."
These patterns let you combine numbers, time, and simple adjectives to describe everyday details.
Practice Dialogue: Talking About Time and Age
In this dialogue, two friends talk about the time, their age, and prices while planning to meet in the morning.
Two friends at a café, checking the time and talking about age and prices.
مَرحَباً، كَيف الحال اليَوم؟
Hello, how are you today?
الحَمدُ لله، أَنا بِخَيْر. كَم السّاعة الآن؟
Praise be to God, I am fine. What time is it now?
السّاعة عَشَرة في الصَّباح.
It is ten in the morning.
جَيِّد. عِندي وَقْت قَليل اليَوم، عِندي الكَثير مِن العَمَل.
Good. I have little time today, I have a lot of work.
كَم سِنَّك الآن؟
How old are you now?
أنا عِشْرين سَنة. وَأَنت؟
I am twenty years old. And you?
أنا عَشَرة سَنة أَكبَر مِنك.
I am ten years older than you.
واو! القَهوة هنا غالية جِدّاً، الكوب واحِد بِعَشَرة دَراهِم.
Wow! The coffee here is very expensive, one cup is ten dirhams.
نَعم، هذا المَكان غالي، لَكِن القَهوة لَذيذة.
Yes, this place is expensive, but the coffee is delicious.
Check Your Understanding: Numbers and Time
Answer this question to review using numbers with time and age.
You want to say: "It is ten in the morning." Which Arabic sentence is correct?
- السّاعة عَشَرة في الصَّباح.
- السّاعة واحِدة في الصَّباح.
- كَم السّاعة الآن؟
- أنا عِشْرين سَنة.
Show Answer
Answer: A) السّاعة عَشَرة في الصَّباح.
The correct answer is "السّاعة عَشَرة في الصَّباح." (as-sāʿa ʿashara fi aṣ-ṣabāḥ). "السّاعة" means "the time/it is", "عَشَرة" is "ten", and "في الصَّباح" is "in the morning." The other options either say a different time, ask a question, or talk about age.
Key Terms
- كَم
- kam – how much/how many; used in questions about time, age, quantity.
- سَنة
- sana – year; used to talk about age.
- سِفر
- sifr – zero (0); used for phone numbers, prices, and time.
- غالي
- ghāli – expensive; describes high price.
- رَخيص
- rakhīṣ – cheap; describes low price.
- عِندي
- ʿindī – I have; combines with numbers and adjectives for quantity.
- قَليل
- qalīl – a little, few; describes small quantity or little time.
- عَشَرة
- ʿashara – ten (10); common round number for prices, age, time.
- السّاعة
- as-sāʿa – the hour, the time; used to tell the time.
- الكَثير
- al-kathīr – a lot, many; often used after ʿindī (I have).
- عِشْرين
- ʿishrīn – twenty (20); used for age, quantities, etc.
- الصَّباح
- aṣ-ṣabāḥ – morning; used with time expressions.
- واحِد / واحْدة
- wāḥid / wāḥda – one (1); masculine/feminine forms.