Telling the Time
Hoe laat is dit? (What time is it?) Dit is tienuur. Use oor for past, voor for to, and om for at: om kwart oor drie. Halfvier is 3:30, because half counts toward four.
How It Works
1. Asking and answering. Hoe laat is dit? means What time is it? Answer with Dit is ... or Dis ....
2. Full hours are one word. Add uur straight to the number: eenuur, vyfuur, sesuur, agtuur, tienuur, twaalfuur. The current spelling rules also write drieuur and seweuur as one word. Older books may show a hyphen, as in drie-uur.
Point in time or length of time? One word names a time on the clock. Two words give a number of hours: Die fliek begin om vyfuur en duur twee uur. (The film starts at five o'clock and lasts two hours.) See measure words after numbers.
3. Past and to. Use oor for past and voor for to:
- tien oor drie (3:10), kwart oor drie (3:15), vyf-en-twintig oor drie (3:25)
- kwart voor vier (3:45), tien voor vier (3:50)
4. Half looks ahead. Half counts toward the next hour, and it is written as one word: halfvier is 3:30, halfsewe is 6:30, halfeen is 12:30. English speakers often get this wrong.
5. At a time: om. Use om for at: Die winkel maak om agtuur oop. In relaxed speech om is often left out: Ek sien jou vieruur.
6. Morning and evening. Add in die oggend, in die middag or in die aand: agtuur in die aand (8 p.m.). For things that happen every day, use soggens and saans. Timetables also use the 24-hour clock.
Useful words: presies (exactly), ongeveer (about), 'n kwartier (a quarter of an hour), middernag (midnight).
Examples (6)
- Hoe laat is dit? Dit is tienuur.
What time is it? It is ten o'clock.
Word by Word: How late is it? It is ten-hour.
- Die winkel maak om agtuur oop.
The shop opens at eight o'clock.
Word by Word: The shop makes at eight-hour open.
- Dit is kwart oor drie.
It is a quarter past three.
Word by Word: It is quarter over three.
- Ons eet om halfsewe.
We eat at half past six.
Word by Word: We eat at half-seven.
Half counts toward the next hour, so halfsewe is 6:30.
- Die bus kom om tien voor vier.
The bus comes at ten to four.
Word by Word: The bus comes at ten before four.
- Die fliek begin om vyfuur en duur twee uur.
The film starts at five o'clock and lasts two hours.
Word by Word: The film begins at five-hour and lasts two hour.
Vyfuur is a time on the clock. Twee uur is a length of time.
Common Mistakes
Saying halfses when you mean half past six.
Kom om halfses.Kom om halfsewe.Halfses means 5:30, because half counts toward six. For 6:30, say halfsewe.
Using by for at with a time.
Ek kom by agtuur.Ek kom om agtuur.The word for at with a clock time is om.
Writing a clock time as two words.
Die les begin om nege uur.Die les begin om negeuur.A time on the clock is one word. Nege uur, as two words, means nine hours.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Telling the time uses numbers and the empty subject dit.
Related Patterns
- Numbers 1-20
The numbers used for hours and minutes.
Level 1 - omAt and Around
Om is the word for at with a clock time.
Level 2 - soggens/saansIn the Morning and Evening: Soggens and Saans
Words for in the mornings and in the evenings.
Level 2 - Measure Words After Numbers
Explains why twee uur (two hours) stays singular.
Level 2 - hoe/hoeveelHow and How Much
Hoe laat is dit? is built on the question word hoe.
Level 1 - Days of the Week
Days are often named together with a time.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Telling the Time in Bubblegum
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