مَرَّةً
marratan
The English phrase "one day" can be translated into Arabic as مَرَّةً (marratan) or يَوْمًا.
Meaning: at unspecified time in the future (adv)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| مَرَّةً | marratan |
| يَوْمًا | yawman |
These terms are used as adverbs to describe something that will happen at an unspecified time in the future.
Which one should you use?
While مَرَّةً and يَوْمًا function as adverbs for an unspecified future time, you may also encounter يوم ما, which translates more specifically to "one day sometime."
How do you pronounce it?
marratan
Did you know?
- The word مَرَّةً comes from the root meaning 'bitterness'. In Arabic, the word for 'once' or 'one time' shares the same root as the word for 'bitter'.
- If you want to say 'one day' to mean 'once upon a time' in a story, you would not use these words, but would instead start with كَانَ يَا مَا كَانَ (kana ya ma kana).
- In certain Levantine dialects, people might use the word بُكرة (bukra) to mean 'one day' in the sense of 'someday soon', even though it literally translates to 'tomorrow'.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Two friends talking about their future travel dreams.
- ليلى Laylaأريد السفر حول العالم.urīdu as-safara ḥawla al-ʿālam.I want to travel around the world.
- زياد Ziadهذا حلم جميل يا ليلى.hādhā ḥulmun jamīlun yā laylā.That is a beautiful dream, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaسأفعل ذلك مَرَّةً ما.sa-afʿalu dhālika marratan mā.I will do that one day.
- زياد Ziadأتمنى لكِ التوفيق يا ليلى.atamannā laki at-tawfīq yā laylā.I wish you success, Layla.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “one day” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
