How to Tell Time in Moroccan Arabic (Darija)

Why Telling Time in Darija Is Worth Learning Early

Knowing how to tell time in Moroccan Arabic comes up constantly — asking when the bus leaves, confirming a meeting, or just understanding what a friend means by "ssa3a sb3a." Darija tells time a little differently from English: instead of saying "two forty," Moroccans usually count down to the next hour ("twenty to three"), and the hour word changes shape for "one o'clock" only. Once you see the pattern, it clicks fast. This guide walks through the numbers, the hour, the minutes, and a full worked example so you can read and say any clock time in Darija.

The Basic Words: Hour, Minute, and Asking the Time

Before the numbers, learn the handful of words that everything else builds on.

Ssa3a is both "hour" and "o'clock" — the same word Moroccans use to ask, state, and talk about time in general. To ask someone the time, ssa3a ch7al? ("the hour, how much?") is the standard question; m3ach? is a shorter, more casual alternative that works the same way.

Numbers 1–12: The Foundation

Every clock time in Darija is built from these twelve numbers, so they're worth memorizing solid before moving on.

On the Hour: Saying "It's X O'Clock"

To say a time on the hour, put ssa3a before the number. There's one exception: "one o'clock" uses wa7da, the feminine form of "one," because ssa3a (hour) is a feminine noun in Darija. Every other number stays exactly as you learned it above.

Once you're comfortable with these, the same pattern covers every hour from 1 to 12 — just swap in the number.

Minutes Past the Hour

Up to the half hour, Darija adds w (and) plus a minute word after the hour number. These minute markers are fixed expressions, not literal minute counts, so they're worth learning as set phrases.

So ssa3a sb3a w rb3 is "quarter past seven," and ssa3a khmsa w ness is "half past five."

Minutes Before the Next Hour: The Countdown System

This is the part that trips up beginners: past the half hour, Darija stops counting up from the current hour and starts counting down to the next one, using 9ll ("minus" or "less"). So 2:40 isn't "two and forty" — it's "twenty to three."

Tlata llarob means "quarter to three" (2:45), and rb3a 9ll 9smyn means "ten to four" (3:50). Notice the hour number itself shifts up to the next hour once you're counting down.

Full Example: Every Time Between 2:00 and 3:00

Seeing a full hour worked out end to end makes the pattern concrete. Here's every five-minute mark starting from ssa3a jouj (2:00):

Notice how the hour word flips from jouj to tlata right after the half hour — that switch to "counting toward three" is the whole trick of the system, and it repeats identically for every hour on the clock.

Morning, Afternoon, Night — and Other Useful Time Words

Darija time-telling is normally 12-hour, so context (or an added word) tells you whether it's AM or PM — similar to how English speakers say "seven in the morning."

To specify AM or PM, add dyal ("of") plus the time of day: ssa3a sb3a dyal sba7 is "seven in the morning," while ssa3a sb3a dyal lil is "seven at night." Official schedules — trains, buses, flights — usually print 24-hour time instead, but everyday spoken Darija sticks to the 12-hour system above.

If you want to keep building useful vocabulary in this direction, these numbers and time markers pair naturally with the ordering phrases in our Moroccan food vocabulary guide — restaurants and cafés are one of the most common places you'll actually need to state or ask a time. For the wider set of everyday phrases that combine with what you've learned here, see 50 essential Moroccan Arabic phrases, and if you're just getting started with Darija overall, our guide on how to learn Moroccan Darija in 30 days is a good next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you ask "what time is it?" in Moroccan Arabic?

Say ssa3a ch7al? (الساعة شحال؟), literally "the hour, how much?" You'll also hear the shorter m3ach? (معاش؟), which means the same thing in a more casual register.

How do you say "half past" and "quarter past" in Darija?

Half past uses w ness (و نص) after the hour — for example ssa3a khmsa w ness is "half past five." Quarter past uses w rb3 (و ربع), as in ssa3a sb3a w rb3 for "quarter past seven."

Does Moroccan Arabic count minutes up or down after the half hour?

Both, depending on which half of the hour you're in. Before the half hour, Darija counts up from the current hour (w 9sm, w rb3, w ness...). After the half hour, it switches to counting down to the next hour using 9ll — so 2:40 is said as "three minus a third," not "two forty."

Is time told in 12-hour or 24-hour format in Morocco?

Everyday spoken Darija uses the 12-hour system, with words like sba7 (morning), 3chia (afternoon), and lil (night) added when the time of day needs clarifying. Written schedules for trains, buses, and flights typically use 24-hour format instead.

Practice Telling Time in Darija

The fastest way to lock this in is to practice saying real clock times out loud, working through both the count-up and count-down halves of the hour until the switch at w ness feels automatic. Drill hours, minutes, and numbers with spaced repetition on MocroDarija: create your free account to start the numbers and time deck, or explore the full number and sentence patterns in our grammar guide. Next time someone asks ssa3a ch7al?, you'll have the answer ready.