Numbers, days and telling the time in Algerian Arabic

You need numbers sooner than you expect, in a taxi, at a market stall, agreeing a time to meet. Algerian counting follows the same shape as other Arabic dialects up to ten, then simplifies.

The months are the part that surprises learners: Algeria uses the French names, so January is جانفي and February is فيفري, not the forms used further east. Say سبتمبر in Algiers and you will be understood; say كانون الثاني and you will not.

10 words to start with