كم الساعة؟
kam al-sa'ah?
The English phrase "what time is it?" is translated into Arabic as كم الساعة؟ (kam al-sa'ah?).
This phrase is a question used to ask for the current time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "How much is the hour?", where كم means "how much" and الساعة means "the hour".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word الساعة (the hour) is a feminine noun, which is used in this context to refer to the current time.
How do you pronounce it?
kam al-sa'ah?
Did you know?
- The word الساعة (the hour) is also the word used to refer to the 'Day of Judgment' in a religious context, giving the word a much more profound weight than just a clock measurement.
- Arabic speakers often express time using 'ordinal' numbers, meaning they say 'the first hour' or 'the second hour' rather than just the number of the hour.
- In many Arabic dialects, the formal كم الساعة؟ is replaced by shorter versions, such as قديش الساعة؟ in Levantine Arabic, where قديش replaces كم.
Examples in context
- كم الساعة؟kam al-sa'a?What time is it?
- يا سيدي، كم الساعة؟ya sayyidi, kam al-sa'a?Sir, what time is it?
Example conversation
Maryam asks Yusuf for the time while walking together.
- مريم Maryamيوسف، كم الساعة؟Yusuf, kam al-sa'a?Yusuf, what time is it?
- يوسف Youssefإنها العاشرة تماماً.innaha al-'ashira tamam-an.It is exactly ten o'clock.
- مريم Maryamشكراً لك يا يوسف.shukran laka ya Yusuf.Thank you, Yusuf.
- يوسف Youssefعفواً يا مريم.afwan ya Maryam.You are welcome, Maryam.
