Learning the dates in Arabic is a vital skill for anyone delving into the language. Dates are an integral part of daily life, from scheduling meetings and planning travel to celebrating important events. Arabic, with its rich linguistic heritage and expressive structure, provides a clear and methodical way to articulate dates that aligns with its grammar.
Whether you’re a student, a professional, or a traveler, mastering the way to express dates in Arabic can enhance your communication skills and help you navigate various social and formal contexts effectively.
This guide will take you through the days, months, and the structure of dates in Arabic, equipping you with the knowledge to communicate with confidence and ease.
Months of the year The Arab world primarily uses the Gregorian calendar, the same calendar used in the West. It uses the Hijri (Islamic) calendar for religious purposes only.
The Arabic names of the months in the Gregorian calendar are typically phonetic adaptations of the corresponding month names used in European languages. However, there’s an exception in the Levant (which includes Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan) and Iraq, where the month names are derived from Assyrian traditions. These names have been inherited through Classical Arabic from the Babylonian and Hebrew lunisolar calendars.
Below is a table illustrating the names of the Gregorian months as used in different Arab countries.
English Egyptian , Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait), Sudanese, Libyan, and Yemenesederived from old Latin Levantine (Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian) and Iraqderived from Babylonian and Assyrian Algerian and Tunisian derived from French Moroccan and Mauritanian derived from Latin January يَنَايِر
كانُون التاني
جانفي
يناير
February فِبْرَاير
شُبَاط
فيفري
فبراير
March مَارِس
آذَار
مارس
مارس
April أبْرِيل
نِيْسَان
أفريل
أبريل
May مَايُو
أيَّار
ماي
ماي
June يُونْيُو
حْزِيران
جوان
يونيو
July يُولْيُو
تَمُّوز
جويلية
يوليوز
August أَغُسْطُس
آب
أوت
غشت
September سِبْتَمْبِر
أيْلُول
سبتمبر
شتمبر
October أُكْتُوبِر
تِشْرِيْن الأَوَّل
أكتوبر
كتوبر
November نُوفَمْبِر
تِشْرِيْن الثّاني
نوفمبر
نونبر
December دِيسَمْبِر
كَانُوْن الأَوَّل
ديسمبر
دجمبر
Here are some examples from Playaling’s real world videos :
A Lebanese comedy (above).Above, a Jordanian video about April Fools’ Day April Fools’ Day is celebrated in the Middle East and is known as كذبة نيسان
or كدبة أبريل
A Saudi talks about her plan to run 10 km in April. Structuring dates in Arabic When saying or writing the dates in Arabic, the structure follows a pattern similar to English. The typical format for stating a full date in Arabic is:
Day (number) + Month + Year
This structure ensures clarity and consistency in communication. Below is a detailed guide on how to correctly structure dates in Arabic.
Basic structure
Day: The day is stated first and written as a number.
Month: The month follows the day and is written in its full Arabic name.
Year: The year comes last and is also written as a number.
Let’s look at a few examples of complete dates in Arabic to better understand:
English Arabic Standard Levantine Egyptian Gulf Darija March 5, 2017 ٥ مارس ٢٠١٧
August 21, 2021 ٢١ أغسطس ٢٠٢١
August in Moroccan is غشت
November 10, 1998 ١٠ نوفمبر ١٩٩٨
Important notes
Number agreement: Unlike in some other contexts, the numbers for dates in Arabic don’t change based on gender. The day and year are stated as simple cardinal numbers.
Formal vs. informal usage: In formal writing and speech, dates are often prefixed with phrases like في يوم
(fi yawm), meaning “on the day of,” or في سنة meaning “in the year of”, to provide additional clarity. Here’s an example of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser using this prefix in a speech (referring to when he got shot at by the Muslim Brotherhood):
Numbers for months In addition to names, Arabic speakers often use numbers for months, by the order in which they appear in the calendar. If you already know the numbers in Arabic, this makes it an easy way to indicate dates:
English Standard Levantine Egyptian Gulf Maghrebi January الشهر الأول
شهر واحد
شهر واحد
شهر واحد
شهر واحد
February الشهر الثاني
شهر تنين
شهر اتنين
شهر اثنين
شهر جوج
March الشهر الثالث
شهر تلاتة
شهر تلاتة
شهر ثلاثة
شهر تلاتة
April الشهر الرابع
شهر أربعة
شهر أربعة
شهر أربعة
شهر أربعة
May الشهر الخامس
شهر خمسة
شهر خمسة
شهر خمسة
شهر خمسة
June الشهر السادس
شهر ستة
شهر ستة
شهر ستة
شهر ستة
July الشهر السابع
شهر سبعة
شهر سبعة
شهر سبعة
شهر سبعة
August الشهر الثامن
شهر تماني
شهر تمانية
شهر ثمانية
شهر تمنية
September الشهر التاسع
شهر تسعة
شهر تسعة
شهر تسعة
شهر تسعود
October الشهر العاشر
شهر عشرة
شهر عشرة
شهر عشرة
شهر عشرة
November الشهر الحادي عشر
شهر إدعش
شهر حداشر
شهر حدعش
شهر حداش
December الشهر الثاني عشر
شهر تنعش
شهر اتناشر
شهر اثنعش
شهر طناش
Examples To effectively communicate dates in Arabic, it’s essential to practice using them in sentences. This will not only help you remember the dates but also understand how they fit into everyday conversations. Here are some Playaling video examples that incorporate dates:
Above, a Jordanian guy answers the question “What ‘s your birthdate?” from one of his fans. He answers using numbers only .Above, three children also tell us their birthdates , using numbers only. From the Egyptian TV series نصيبي وقسمتك . From Easy Arabic . If you’re looking to improve your Arabic with real world videos, sign up for a free trial today at Playaling.com . Experience immersive learning that brings the language to life!
Referring to dates within the current month When you want to refer to a date within the current month in Arabic, you can use a simpler and more colloquial expression. In Levantine, you can refer to the date directly by saying the day number followed by الشَهْر
meaning “the month”. For example, if today is June 10th, you would say: عَشَرَة الشَهْر
(literally: ten (of) the month).
So, if you’re scheduling an appointment or talking about a specific date within the current month, you can use this shorthand method. Here’s another example for June 20th: عِشْرِينْ الشَهْر
(literally: twenty (of) the month).
This approach makes referencing dates quick and easy when the month is already understood from the context.
During the COVID-19 pandemic , Lebanese celebrities used this system to set a date to honor healthcare workers:
Lebanese citizens applaud heroes of the pandemic .The Islamic calendar While the Gregorian calendar is used in everyday life, Arab countries use the Islamic calendar mainly for religious purposes. Writing dates in the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, involves noting the day, month, and year in relation to the Hijra (migration) of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina. The Islamic calendar is lunar-based, comprising 12 months of 29 or 30 days each, depending on the moon’s sighting. For example, a date would be written as ١٠ ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة ١٤٤٥ هـ and pronounced in MSA dialect as
(literally: the tenth of Dhul-Hijja, of the year 1445 Hijri), where عاشر
is the cardinal form of the number ١٠
, the number of the day. ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة
is the month, and ١٤٤٥ هـ
denotes 1445 years “After Hijra.” The Hijri year is approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year.
Month # English months Islamic months 1 January مُحَرَّم
2 February صَفَر
3 March رَبِيع الأوَّل
4 April رَبِيع الثَّانِي
5 May جُمَادَى الأُولَى
6 June جُمَادَى الآخِرَة
7 July رَجَبْ
8 August شَعْبَانْ
9 September رَمَضَانْ
10 October شَوَّالْ
11 November ذُو القِعْدَة
12 December ذُو الحِجَّة
Note: This table provides a rough alignment as the exact dates of Islamic months vary each year due to their dependence on lunar cycles and intercalary adjustments.
Here’s a real world example of the Islamic calendar in use:
From an Egyptian video about Ibn Battuta , a famous explorer. The video is in Educated Spoken Arabic . The Assyrian calendar The Assyrian calendar, also known as the Aramaic calendar, is a lunisolar system still used in Assyrian communities in parts of Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. It combines lunar and solar elements to keep the calendar year in sync with the solar year and seasons. Predominantly Christian, the Assyrian people rely on this calendar for cultural and religious practices.
Rooted in ancient Mesopotamian timekeeping, the Assyrian calendar has been in use for millennia. Despite the widespread use of the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes, the Assyrian calendar remains significant for scheduling religious festivals, cultural celebrations, and agricultural activities, underscoring the resilience and continuity of Assyrian identity.
The Assyrians are descendants of the ancient Assyrian Empire, one of the earliest civilizations, which emerged around the 25th century BCE. Their language, a dialect of Aramaic, has been spoken for thousands of years. The Assyrian calendar is a vital link to their rich heritage, preserving their cultural and religious traditions through the ages.
Enhance your learning As you dive deeper into mastering dates in Arabic, consider expanding your knowledge by learning the days of the week . Understanding how to articulate the days is a crucial step in becoming more proficient and confident in your Arabic communication. This foundational skill will complement your ability to say and write the dates in Arabic, helping you gain a more comprehensive understanding of the language.
It’s common to write the date on the board in Arab schools at the beginning of each day. Conclusion Understanding how to express dates in Arabic is essential for effective communication and cultural integration. This guide has provided a comprehensive overview of the Gregorian calendar months, the structure of dates in Arabic, and the use of both the Islamic and Assyrian (Aramaic) calendars. These calendars each bring unique elements to the understanding of time and its cultural significance.
The ability to articulate dates correctly will help you in a variety of contexts, from planning events and meetings to discussing historical events and religious observances. Regular practice and application of these concepts will reinforce your knowledge and improve your proficiency.
By incorporating these skills into your daily routine, you will not only enhance your language abilities but also gain a deeper appreciation of Arabic’s rich cultural and historical context. Keep practicing and continue exploring the intricacies of the Arabic language to communicate with greater confidence and ease.
