خلال in English: during, through – meaning, pronunciation, examples

Other meanings

خِلَالَ khilāla — through · through, across

How to use it

'خلال' (khilāl) is a preposition that indicates a period of time ('during', 'throughout') or movement across a space ('through'). It is always followed by a noun in the genitive case.

Example sentences

سَافَرْنَا خِلَالَ الصَّيْفِ.

sāfarnā khilāla aṣ-ṣayf.

We traveled during the summer.
يَمُرُّ النَّهْرُ خِلَالَ الوَادِي.

yamurru an-nahru khilāla al-wādī.

The river passes through the valley.
تَعَلَّمَ الكَثِيرَ خِلَالَ رِحْلَتِهِ.

taʿallama al-kathīra khilāla riḥlatihī.

He learned a lot throughout his journey.

Examples from real texts

Sentences taken from published bilingual texts (subtitles, documents). They show the word in context and are not reviewed one by one.

خلال التحقيق:

During the interrogation:

ستتحسن خلال أسبوع.

She will get well in a week.

سأعود في خلال ساعة.

I'll be back within an hour.

تحدثت معها خلال ساعة.

I talked with her for an hour.

وكبرتم خلال شهر قرونا

In, a month, you've grown centuries' worth.

حضرت الشرطة خلال دقائق

Police were on the scene within minutes.

سيعود سامي خلال دقائق.

Sami will be back in a minute.

السلام من خلال التنمية

Peace Through Development

كان يأخذني خلال الحديقة.

He was taking me through the garden.

وتابعوا سيرهم خلال اللّيل.

Then they continue on into the night.

وعمليات النقل لا تكون عملية في الليل خلال حظر التجول أو خلال الغارات العسكرية.

Such journeys were impracticable at night, during curfews, or when there were military incursions.

فالعديد منها يصوَّر وينقَل لحظة بلحظة إلى العالم، إما من خلال تقنية البث المباشر أو من خلال التدوين أو من خلال الفيسبوك والتويتر وغيرها.

Many are engaged in photographing what is happening in real time, by live steaming or live blogging or via Facebook and Twitter, etc.

Questions and answers

What's the difference between 'خلال' and 'في'?

'في' (fī) can mean 'in' or 'at', while 'خلال' (khilāl) specifically means 'during' or 'through'. 'خلال' often implies a duration or passage.

Can 'خلال' be used for physical passage?

Yes, it can mean 'through'. For example, 'the train travels through the tunnel' - 'يسافر القطار خلال النفق' (yusāfiru al-qiṭāru khilāla an-nafīq).