Telling Time and Days in Kurmanji (Kurdish): Phrases to Copy
Do you want to ask the time or say what day it is in Kurmanji (Kurdish)? This page gathers the phrases our teachers recorded on this topic.
You will find the question about the time, three ways to give the time, five days of the week, and the words for “today”, “yesterday”, “tomorrow” and “now”.
Every phrase comes with an English translation, so you can copy it and reuse it.
Asking the time: Saet çend e ?
To ask the time, our teachers recorded Saet çend e ? This phrase means “What time is it?” Learn it as one complete phrase.
There is also a question that offers a time to confirm: Niha yek û nîv e ? It means “Is it half past one now?”
Giving the time: the recorded forms
Here are the three times in our recordings.
Click the button after a phrase to hear it spoken by a teacher.
- Saet deh e.: “It is ten o'clock.”
- Erê, saet yek û nîv e.: “Yes, it is half past one.”
- Çaran çarêkek dibore.: “It is a quarter past four.”
For a quarter past four, there is also a question: Û saet çar û çarêk ? It means “And a quarter past four?”
So the recorded answers come in three kinds. You can give the time alone, as in Saet deh e. You can start with “yes”, as in Erê, saet yek û nîv e. Or you can say Çaran çarêkek dibore. for a quarter past four.
Days and time words
Here are five days of the week.
- Duşem: Monday
- Pêncşem: Thursday
- În: Friday
- Şemî: Saturday
- Yekşem: Sunday
To ask the day, say Îro çi roj e ? This phrase means “What day is it today?” The recorded answer is Îro Duşem e.: “Today is Monday.”
Yesterday, today, tomorrow, now
- Îro: “today”, in Îro Duşem e.
- Duh: “yesterday”, in Duh tu li dibistanê bûyî? (“Yesterday, were you at school?”)
- Sibê: “tomorrow”, in Sibê em ê li malê bin? (“Tomorrow, will we be at home?”)
- Niha: “now”, in Niha yek û nîv e ?
In these examples, these words open the sentence.
Six phrases ready to copy
- Saet çend e ?: “What time is it?”
- Saet deh e.: “It is ten o'clock.”
- Erê, saet yek û nîv e.: “Yes, it is half past one.”
- Çaran çarêkek dibore.: “It is a quarter past four.”
- Îro çi roj e ?: “What day is it today?”
- Îro Duşem e.: “Today is Monday.”
Mini-dialogue
This dialogue is made of phrases recorded by our teachers.
- Niha yek û nîv e ?: “Is it half past one now?”
- Erê, saet yek û nîv e.: “Yes, it is half past one.”
Tips for using them
- Learn each phrase whole, with its translation.
- To confirm a time, repeat it in your answer: Niha yek û nîv e ? is answered by Erê, saet yek û nîv e.
- To talk about the day, keep the word Îro: Îro çi roj e ? then Îro Duşem e.
- To say “yes”, our recordings contain Erê and Belê. Example with Belê: Belê, sibê ez ê li malê bim. (“Yes, tomorrow I will be at home.”)
- Say the phrases out loud, one by one.
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask the time in Kurmanji?
Say Saet çend e ? This phrase means “What time is it?”
How do you say it is half past one?
The recorded phrase is Erê, saet yek û nîv e. It means “Yes, it is half past one.”
How do you say a quarter past four?
Say Çaran çarêkek dibore. for “It is a quarter past four.” The question Û saet çar û çarêk ? means “And a quarter past four?”
How do you ask what day it is?
Say Îro çi roj e ? for “What day is it today?” One recorded answer is Îro Duşem e.
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