Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| اليوم | il-yōm | /al.jaw.ma/ | Gulf Arabic |
| الْيَوْمَ | al-yawma | ||
| النهارده | en-nɑhɑ́r-dɑ | Egyptian Arabic |
اليوم is the most widespread word for today in formal Arabic, and it works as an adverb in sentences like asking what someone did today.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is made of the definite article al-, meaning the and yawm, meaning day. So it literally means the day.
Which one should you use?
الْيَوْمَ (al-yawma) is the fully vowelled Modern Standard Arabic form used as an adverb. النهارده is the everyday Egyptian word, while Gulf speakers use اليوم just like the formal language.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic people say النهارده (en-naharda) for today. In Gulf Arabic the word is اليوم, pronounced il-yōm.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Modern Standard Arabic, when the word is used as an adverb meaning today, it usually ends with a short a sound, giving al-yawma.
How do you pronounce it?
The standard pronunciation is /al.jaw.ma/, in three syllables. Gulf speakers say il-yōm.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use النهارده in formal writing, since it is Egyptian colloquial. Use اليوم instead.
Did you know?
- The Egyptian word for today النهارده actually contains the word نهار meaning 'daylight'. It is a contraction of an ancient phrase meaning 'this is the day'.
- In Arabic, the word اليوم can refer to a single 24 hour period or be used to describe the entire current era and modern times.
- Arabic grammar allows a speaker to change the function of اليوم from a simple noun to a time adverb just by adding a short 'a' sound to the end.
Examples in context
- هل غاب أحد اليوم؟Is anyone absent today?اليوم comes at the end of the question, just like today in English.Tatoeba #370995 by saeb, translation #242924 by CK
- ماذا فعلت اليوم ؟What did you do today?Here اليوم follows the verb to ask about the day's activities.Tatoeba #4804550 by MSSGIFRE, translation #2481353 by Opiejay888
- لا يوجد فصل اليوم.There's no class today.اليوم closes the sentence to say there is no class today.Tatoeba #11621501 by elmassoudi, translation #501424 by CK
- لدي موعد هام اليوم.I have an important meeting today.
- نعلن هذا اليوم عطلة رسمية.We hereby declare today a national holiday.
- سمعت قصة مشوقة اليوم.I heard a fascinating story today.
- 192 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yousef and Noor are talking about their plans via phone.
- يوسف Youssefشرايك نطلع اليوم؟shrayik nitla' al-yawm?What do you think about going out today?
- نور Nourوالله اليوم تعبانة وايد.wallah al-yawm ta'banah wayed.Honestly, I am very tired today.
- يوسف Youssefسلامتج، خلاص ارتاحي.salamatich, khalas irtahi.Get well soon, okay then, rest up.
- نور Nourمشكورة يا يوسف.mashkoorah ya Yousef.Thank you, Yousef.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “today” translations and entries اليوم, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
