Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| آنَذَاكَ | ʔānaḏāka |
| حِينَئِذٍ | ḥīnaʔiḏin |
آنَذَاكَ refers back to a specific time in the past, as in the people of that era or the situation back then.
What does it mean word for word?
آنَذَاكَ joins آنَ, a word for time, with ذَاكَ, meaning that. Together they mean at that time.
Which one should you use?
حِينَئِذٍ (ḥīnaʔiḏin) also means at that time, but it is more often used for at that moment or in that case, in a logical sequence of events. آنَذَاكَ points more strictly to a particular time in the past. For then in the sense of next or after that, Arabic uses ثُمَّ and فيما بَعْدَ means afterward or later.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both آنَذَاكَ and حِينَئِذٍ are highly formal. They belong to Modern Standard Arabic in literature, news and speeches rather than everyday spoken dialects.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it as ʔānaḏāka. The first vowel is long, and the ḏ is the sound of th in the English word that.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use آنَذَاكَ to list steps in order. When then means next, use ثُمَّ.
Did you know?
- While آنَذَاكَ is formal, speakers of various Arabic dialects often use the word وِقْتْهَا ('at its time') to express the same idea in daily conversation.
- In ancient philosophical and legal Arabic texts, حِينَئِذٍ functions as a logical pivot to signal a consequence rather than a simple marker of time.
- In many spoken Arabic dialects, the distinctive 'th' sound in آنَذَاكَ disappears and is replaced by 'z' or 'd'.
Examples in context
- اذهب إلى السوق، ثُمَّ إلى المكتبة.Go to the market, then to the library.
- يضع الكتاب هنا، وفيما بَعْدَ يقرأه.He puts the book here, then reads it later.
- رحت المجمع تسوق، وبَعْدَهَا اتصلت بصديقي.I went to the mall to shop, then I called my friend.
- درست لساعات طويلة، وبَعْدَهَا كنت مستعدًا للاستراحة.I studied for long hours, then I was ready to rest.
- كَانَ القَدَرُ ضِدَّنَا آنَذَاكَ.kana al-qadaru diddana anadhaka.Fate was against us at that time.
- لَمْ أَكُنْ أَعِيشُ هُنَا آنَذَاكَ.lam akun a'ishu huna anadhaka.I was not living here at that time.
- كَانَتِ المَدِينَةُ هَادِئَةً جِدًّا آنَذَاكَ.kanat al-madinatu hadi'atan jiddan anadhaka.The city was very quiet at that time.
Example conversation
Nour and Ziad are talking about their childhood memories.
- نور Nourهَلْ كُنْتَ تُحِبُّ اللَّعِبَ فِي الشَّارِعِ؟hal kunta tuhibbu al-la'iba fi al-shari'?Did you like playing in the street?
- زياد Ziadنَعَمْ، كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ آنَذَاكَ.na'am, kuntu al'abu kulla yawmin anadhaka.Yes, I used to play every day at that time.
- نور Nourأَيْنَ كُنْتَ تَلْعَبُ يَا زِيَادُ؟ayna kunta tal'abu ya Ziad?Where did you play, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadكُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ أَمَامَ مَنْزِلِنَا.kuntu al'abu amama manzili-na.I used to play in front of our house.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “then” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
