Months & Seasons
14 words · ~15 min
Arabic-speaking countries use different month naming systems. The Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) uses Babylonian-derived names, while North Africa uses French-derived names. The Hijri (Islamic) lunar calendar is used for religious occasions.
The Islamic calendar is lunar, so months shift approximately 11 days earlier each solar year. Ramadan, the month of fasting, can fall in any season. Understanding both the Gregorian and Hijri calendars is important in Arab culture.
Lesson overview
Months & Seasons is a level A1 lesson of 14 words: 14 nouns. Its words come from 9 Arabic roots, listed below with links to each root family.
- Builds on: Days of the Week (A1)
- Next lesson: Telling Time (A1)
Word list
| Arabic | Meaning | Type | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
صَفَر ṣafar | Safar (2nd month) | noun | ص-ف-ر |
رَبِيع الْأَوَّل rabīʿ al-awwal | Rabi al-Awwal (3rd month) | noun | ر-ب-ع |
رَبِيع الثَّانِي rabīʿ ath-thānī | Rabi ath-Thani (4th month) | noun | ر-ب-ع |
جُمَادَى الْأُولَى jumādā al-ūlā | Jumada al-Ula (5th month) | noun | ج-م-د |
جُمَادَى الثَّانِيَة jumādā ath-thāniya | Jumada ath-Thaniya (6th month) | noun | ج-م-د |
رَجَب rajab | Rajab (7th month) | noun | ر-ج-ب |
شَعْبَان shaʿbān | Shaban (8th month) | noun | ش-ع-ب |
رَمَضَان ramaḍān | Ramadan (9th month) | noun | ر-م-ض |
شَوَّال shawwāl | Shawwal (10th month) | noun | ش-و-ل |
ذُو الْقَعْدَة dhū al-qaʿda | Dhul Qa'dah (11th month) | noun | ق-ع-د |
ذُو الْحِجَّة dhū al-ḥijja | Dhul Hijjah (12th month) | noun | ح-ج-ج |
سَاعَة sāʿa | hour / clock | noun | س-و-ع |
دَقِيقَة daqīqa | minute | noun | د-ق-ق |
ثَانِيَة thāniya | second (time unit) | noun | ث-ن-ي |
Themes these words belong to: Time (14), Calendar (11), Basics (3)
Sample word cards
Exercises and spaced review for all 14 words
"Months & Seasons" is one of 144 vocabulary lessons in Fahm Premium, each with guided exercises and spaced-repetition review. The first 10 lessons are free to try.
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