Language/Borana-arsi-guji-oromo/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

◀️ Numbers 1-20 — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Traditional Dishes ▶️

Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Telling Time

Welcome to the "Telling Time" lesson in our Complete 0 to A1 Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo Course! Understanding how to tell time is an essential skill in any language, and in Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo, it's no different. This lesson will guide you through the vocabulary and expressions you'll need to discuss time, which is vital for daily communication, making plans, and interacting with others in a culturally rich context.

In this lesson, we will cover:

• Basic vocabulary related to time

• How to express hours and minutes

• Common phrases used when telling time

• Practice exercises to reinforce your learning

By the end of this lesson, you will feel confident in your ability to tell time in Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo and use it in conversations. Let's dive in!

Basic Vocabulary

To start, let’s learn some essential vocabulary related to time. Here’s a table with common terms:

Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo	Pronunciation	English
sa'a	/sɑːʔɑ/	hour
daqiiqa	/dɑːqɪqɑ/	minute
sa'aa	/sɑːʔɑː/	o'clock
galgala	/ɡɑlɡɑlɑ/	evening
ganama	/ɡɑnɑmɑ/	morning
halkani	/hɑlkɑnɪ/	night
guyyaa	/ɡuʔjɑː/	day
torbaan	/tɔʔbɑːn/	week
ji'a	/dʒiːʔɑ/	month
bara	/bɑrɑ/	year

These words will form the foundation for telling time in the Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo language.

Telling Hours

In Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo, telling the hour is quite straightforward. The structure is generally as follows:

• To say the time, you start with the hour followed by “sa’aa” (o’clock).

Here are some examples to illustrate:

Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo	Pronunciation	English
sa'a tokko	/sɑːʔɑ tʊkɔ/	one o'clock
sa'a lama	/sɑːʔɑ lɑmɑ/	two o'clock
sa'a sadi	/sɑːʔɑ sɑdɪ/	three o'clock
sa'a afur	/sɑːʔɑ ɑfʊr/	four o'clock
sa'a shan	/sɑːʔɑ ʃɑn/	five o'clock
sa'a jahaa	/sɑːʔɑ dʒɑhɑː/	six o'clock
sa'a torba	/sɑːʔɑ tɔrbɑ/	seven o'clock
sa'a sadiin	/sɑːʔɑ sɑdɪn/	eight o'clock
sa'a sagal	/sɑːʔɑ sɑɡɑl/	nine o'clock
sa'a kudha	/sɑːʔɑ kʊdʌ/	ten o'clock

You can see that it is simply a matter of stating the number followed by "sa’a".

Telling Minutes

When it comes to minutes, the structure is slightly altered. You typically say the hour first, followed by the number of minutes.

For example:

• “sa’a tokko daqiiqa shan” means "one o'clock five minutes."

Let’s take a look at more examples:

Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo	Pronunciation	English
sa'a tokko daqiiqa tokko	/sɑːʔɑ tʊkɔ dɑqɪqɑ tʊkɔ/	one o'clock one minute
sa'a lama daqiiqa shan	/sɑːʔɑ lɑmɑ dɑqɪqɑ ʃɑn/	two o'clock five minutes
sa'a sadi daqiiqa afur	/sɑːʔɑ sɑdɪ dɑqɪqɑ ɑfʊr/	three o'clock four minutes
sa'a afur daqiiqa torba	/sɑːʔɑ ɑfʊr dɑqɪqɑ tɔrbɑ/	four o'clock seven minutes
sa'a shan daqiiqa kudha	/sɑːʔɑ ʃɑn dɑqɪqɑ kʊdʌ/	five o'clock ten minutes
sa'a jahaa daqiiqa shan	/sɑːʔɑ dʒɑhɑː dɑqɪqɑ ʃɑn/	six o'clock five minutes
sa'a torba daqiiqa lama	/sɑːʔɑ tɔrbɑ dɑqɪqɑ lɑmɑ/	seven o'clock two minutes
sa'a sadiin daqiiqa shan	/sɑːʔɑ sɑdɪn dɑqɪqɑ ʃɑn/	eight o'clock five minutes
sa'a sagal daqiiqa kudha lama	/sɑːʔɑ sɑɡɑl dɑqɪqɑ kʊdʌ lɑmɑ/	nine o'clock twelve minutes
sa'a kudha daqiiqa sadi	/sɑːʔɑ kʊdʌ dɑqɪqɑ sɑdɪ/	ten o'clock three minutes

As you can see, expressing minutes is simply a matter of adding the minutes after the hour.

Common Time Expressions

There are several common expressions that are useful when telling time. Below are some key phrases:

Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo	Pronunciation	English
guyyaa kana	/ɡuʔjɑː kɑnɑ/	today
boru	/bɔrʊ/	tomorrow
kaleessa	/kɑleʃʌ/	yesterday
sa’a dheeraa	/sɑːʔɑ dʒeːrɑ/	a long time
sa’a gabaabduu	/sɑːʔɑ ɡɑbɑːbdu/	a short time
yeroo	/jeːrɔ/	time
daqiiqa tokko	/dɑqɪqɑ tʊkɔ/	one minute
daqiiqa lama	/dɑqɪqɑ lɑmɑ/	two minutes
sa’a 3:00	/sɑːʔɑ 3:00/	three o'clock
sa’a 6:30	/sɑːʔɑ 6:30/	six thirty

These time expressions will help you navigate conversations involving time more fluidly.

Practice Exercises

Now that we have covered the vocabulary and structure, it's time to put your new knowledge into practice! Below are some exercises to help you solidify your understanding.

Exercise 1: Translate the following times into Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo.

1. 1:00

2. 2:05

3. 3:15

4. 4:30

5. 5:45

Solutions:

1. sa'a tokko

2. sa'a lama daqiiqa shan

3. sa'a sadi daqiiqa kudha

4. sa'a afur daqiiqa sadi

5. sa'a shan daqiiqa afur

Exercise 2: What time is it? (Translate the following sentences into English.)

1. sa'a jahaa

2. sa'a torba daqiiqa kudha

3. sa'a sadiin daqiiqa lama

4. sa'a shan daqiiqa shan

5. sa'a afur daqiiqa torba

Solutions:

1. It is six o'clock.

2. It is seven o'clock ten minutes.

3. It is eight o'clock two minutes.

4. It is five o'clock five minutes.

5. It is four o'clock seven minutes.

Exercise 3: Fill in the blanks.

1. sa'a ___ (two) daqiiqa ___ (five)

2. sa'a ___ (three) daqiiqa ___ (ten)

3. sa'a ___ (four) daqiiqa ___ (two)

4. sa'a ___ (six) daqiiqa ___ (fifteen)

5. sa'a ___ (seven) daqiiqa ___ (thirty)

Solutions:

1. sa'a lama daqiiqa shan

2. sa'a sadi daqiiqa kudha

3. sa'a afur daqiiqa lama

4. sa'a jahaa daqiiqa kudha shan

5. sa'a torba daqiiqa sadi

Exercise 4: Create sentences using the following times.

1. 8:00

2. 9:30

3. 10:15

4. 11:45

5. 12:05

Solutions:

1. sa'a sadiin

2. sa'a sagal daqiiqa kudha shan

3. sa'a kudha daqiiqa afur

4. sa'a kudha afur daqiiqa torba

5. sa'a kudha lama daqiiqa shan

Exercise 5: Match the time with its Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo expression.

1. 1:15

2. 2:45

3. 3:30

4. 4:05

5. 5:20

Solutions:

1. sa'a tokko daqiiqa kudha shan

2. sa'a lama daqiiqa afur

3. sa'a sadi daqiiqa shan

4. sa'a afur daqiiqa shan

5. sa'a shan daqiiqa lama

Exercise 6: Create questions using the time.

Example: What time is it? -> sa'a eenyu?

1. What time is it? ->

2. What time do you wake up? ->

3. What time do you go to bed? ->

4. What time do you eat lunch? ->

5. What time do you go to school? ->

Solutions:

1. sa'a eenyu?

2. sa'a eenyu ni ka'a?

3. sa'a eenyu ni ciisa?

4. sa'a eenyu ni nyaata?

5. sa'a eenyu ni barnoota?

Exercise 7: Describe your daily routine using time expressions.

Write a short paragraph about your daily routine using at least five time expressions.

Example Solution:

• I wake up at 6:00 (sa'a jahaa ni ka'a). I have breakfast at 7:00 (sa'a tokko ni nyaata). I go to school at 8:00 (sa'a sadiin ni deema). I have lunch at 12:00 (sa'a kudha). I come home at 4:00 (sa'a afur).

Exercise 8: Role-play a conversation about time.

Partner with a classmate and create a dialogue about what time it is, when you will meet, and daily activities.

Example Solution:

• A: sa'a eenyu?

• B: sa'a sadiin.

• A: gaariidha, sa'a afur ni wal argu?

• B: eeyyee, sa'a afur ni wal argu.

Exercise 9: Listening exercise.

Listen to a recording of a native speaker telling the time and write down what they say.

Solution: Write down the times mentioned in the recording and translate them.

Exercise 10: Create a timeline of your day using time expressions.

Draw a timeline and label it with activities and times in Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo.

Example Solution:

• 6:00 - sa'a jahaa ni ka'a (I wake up)

• 7:00 - sa'a tokko ni nyaata (I have breakfast)

• 8:00 - sa'a sadiin ni deema (I go to school)

• 12:00 - sa'a kudha ni nyaata (I have lunch)

• 4:00 - sa'a afur ni deema (I come home)

Congratulations on completing the "Telling Time" lesson! Remember, practice makes perfect, and the more you use these expressions, the more natural they will become. Keep revisiting these tables and exercises to build your confidence.

Table of Contents - Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to the Borana-Arsi-Guji Oromo Language

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Self-Introduction

  ---

Oromo Culture and Traditions

• Traditional Festivals
• Traditional Music and Dance

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Singular and Plural Nouns
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Oromo Cuisine

• Traditional Dishes
• Eating Customs

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Oromo Wedding Traditions

• Wedding Ceremonies
• Wedding Attire

Other Lessons

• Express Surprise
• Describing Relationships
• Numbers 1 20
• How to say Good Bye?
• Education
• Common Greetings
• Colors
• Days Guyyoota
• Time Yeroo

◀️ Numbers 1-20 — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Traditional Dishes ▶️