Mastering Dates in Arabic: A Comprehensive Guide

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, and different dialects like Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine (Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian), Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan, and Mauritanian.

English	Egyptian, Gulf (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait), Sudanese, Libyan, and Yemenese derived from old Latin	Levantine (Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Palestinian) and Iraqi derived from Babylonian and Assyrian	Algerian and Tunisian derived from French	Moroccan and Mauritanian derived from Latin
January	يَنَايِر	كانُون التاني كانُون الثاني	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 تِشْرِيْن التّاني	نوفمبر	نونبر
December	دِيسَمْبِر	كَانُوْن الأَوَّل	ديسمبر	دجمبر

Here are some examples from Playaling’s real world videos:

A Lebanese comedy (above).

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Above, a Jordanian video about April Fools’ Day.

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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.

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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 Standard Arabic, Levantine, Egyptian, Gulf, and Darija 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):

Nasser’s speech.

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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 الشهر الأول	شهر واحد	شهر واحد الشهر الأول	شهر واحد الشهر الأول
February	الشهر الثاني	شهر تنين الشهر التاني الشهر الثاني	شهر اتنين	شهر اثنين الشهر الثاني	شهر جوج الشهر التاني
March	الشهر الثالث	شهر تلاتة شهر ثلاثة الشهر التالت الشهر الثالث	شهر تلاتة	شهر ثلاثة الشهر الثالث	شهر تلاتة الشهر التالت
April	الشهر الرابع	شهر أربعة الشهر الرابع	شهر أربعة	شهر أربعة الشهر الرابع	شهر أربعة الشهر الرابع
May	الشهر الخامس	شهر خمسة الشهر الخامس	شهر خمسة	شهر خمسة الشهر الخامس	شهر خمسة الشهر الخامس
June	الشهر السادس	شهر ستة الشهر السادس	شهر ستة	شهر ستة الشهر السادس	شهر ستة الشهر السادس
July	الشهر السابع	شهر سبعة الشهر السابع	شهر سبعة	شهر سبعة الشهر السابع	شهر سبعة الشهر السابع
August	الشهر الثامن	شهر تماني الشهر التامن الشهر الثامن	شهر تمانية	شهر ثمانية الشهر الثامن	شهر تمنية الشهر التامن
September	الشهر التاسع	شهر تسعة الشهر التاسع	شهر تسعة	شهر تسعة الشهر التاسع	شهر تسعود الشهر التاسع
October	الشهر العاشر	شهر عشرة الشهر العاشر	شهر عشرة	شهر عشرة الشهر العاشر	شهر عشرة الشهر العاشر
November	الشهر الحادي عشر	شهر إدعش الشهر الإدعش	شهر حداشر	شهر حدعش الشهر الحدعش	شهر حداش
December	الشهر الثاني عشر	شهر تنعش الشهر الاتنعش	شهر اتناشر	شهر اثنعش الشهر الاثنعش	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.

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Above, three children also tell us their birthdates, using numbers only.

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From the Egyptian TV series نصيبي وقسمتك.

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From Easy Arabic.

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If you’re looking to improve your Arabic with real world videos, sign up for a free trial today at Playaling. 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.

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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 or رَبِيع الآخِر
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.

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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.

Oh, and by the way…

If learning Arabic at your own pace, with fun, real-world videos sounds like your style, then Playaling could be exactly what you’re looking for!

With Playaling, you’ll dive into any major Arabic dialect or MSA. Our diverse range of videos has it all—from everyday conversations and cultural moments to music videos, TV and movie clips, influencer content, news broadcasts, and inspiring talks.

Our interactive captions let you tap any word for instant translations, context, and audio. So, real Arabic content becomes accessible with just a click. Miss something? No problem—rewind and listen as often as you need, or hover over subtitles for quick definitions.