Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| سنة | sana | /sa.na/ /si.na/ |
Egyptian Arabic, feminine |
| عَام | ʕām | ||
| أَعْوَام | ʔaʕwām | plural | |
| سَنَوَات | sanawāt | plural | |
| سَنَة | sana | feminine |
The word is used to refer to the period of time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.
Which one should you use?
While both terms mean 'year', عَام is often used in more formal, literary or administrative contexts, whereas سنة is more common in everyday speech. For plurals, you can use أَعْوَام or the sound feminine plural سَنَوَات.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form سنة is used in Egyptian Arabic.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word سنة is grammatically feminine, which affects the adjectives and numbers that modify it. The form سَنَوَات serves as the standard sound feminine plural for سنة.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is sana and the IPA is /sa.na/. It has 2 syllables.
When do people say it?
The phrase كل سنة و أنت بخير is a standard, polite way to offer seasonal greetings for birthdays, New Year or religious holidays.
Did you know?
- In the Quran and classical Arabic literature, a distinction is often made between سنة and عَام based on connotation. A سنة can sometimes imply a year filled with hardship or drought, whereas a عَام tends to suggest a prosperous or bountiful year.
- The Arabic language describes the 'New Year' as رأس السنة, which translates literally as the 'head of the year'.
- Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, a Hijri سنة is about eleven days shorter than the solar year used in the Gregorian calendar.
Examples in context
- مات عمي منذ سنة.My uncle died a year ago.This sentence is useful for expressing how long ago an event occurred using سنة.Tatoeba #375537 by saeb, translation #266635 by CK
- كل سنة و أنت بخير.Happy New Year!This sentence shows a common seasonal greeting using سنة.Tatoeba #372081 by saeb, translation #361350 by blay_paul
- أمضى الجميع سنة طيبة.Everybody had a good year.This sentence describes someone having a good year using سنة.Tatoeba #384657 by saeb, translation #32196 by CK
- ارفع مدخراتك سنة بعد سنة.Increase your savings each year.
- يغطي هذا التقرير بيانات العام الماضي.This report covers data from the past year.
- ما شفتكش سنة!I haven't seen you for a year!
- كانت سنة صعبة.It's been a tough year.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ahmed and Maryam are discussing Maryam's job experience.
- أحمد Ahmedأنتي اشتغلتي في الشركة دي بقالك سنة؟anti ishtaghalti fil-sharika di bi'aliki sana?Have you been working in this company for a year?
- مريم Maryamأيوه، بقالي سنة بالظبط.aywa, ba'ali sana bil-zabt.Yes, it has been exactly a year.
- أحمد Ahmedما شاء الله، الوقت بيجري بسرعة.ma sha' Allah, el-wa't biyigri bi-sur'a.Wow, time flies so fast.
- مريم Maryamفعلاً، السنة عدت بسرعة جداً.fe'lan, el-sana 'addat bi-sur'a geddan.Really, the year passed very quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “year” translations and entries سنة, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
