zer ordu da?

Telling the Time

Level 1

Ask Zer ordu da? Answer with the hour and the article: Ordu bata da (It is one o'clock), Laurak dira (It is four o'clock).

How It Works

Asking. Zer ordu da? means What time is it? The word ordu means hour.

The hours take the article. Say the number with the plural article -ak and the verb dira. One o'clock is the exception: it is singular, and it keeps the word ordu.

  • Ordu bata da. It is one o'clock.
  • Ordu biak dira. or Biak dira. It is two o'clock.
  • Hirurak, laurak, bostak, seiak, zazpiak, zortziak, bederatziak, hamarrak, hamaikak, hamabiak dira.

Notice that hiru and lau add an r before the article: hirurak, laurak.

Past and to. Add minutes after the hour with eta (and). Take minutes away with gutxi (less):

  • Seiak eta bost dira. It is five past six.
  • Hirurak eta laurden dira. It is a quarter past three.
  • Hiru eta erdiak dira. It is half past three.
  • Bostak laurden gutxi dira. It is a quarter to five.
  • Hamarrak hamar gutxi dira. It is ten to ten.

For half past, the Basque Academy's standard puts the article on erdi (half) instead of on the hour: hiru eta erdiak, ordu bat eta erdiak. In everyday speech you will also hear hirurak eta erdiak. For a quarter past, both hirurak eta laurden and hiru eta laurdenak are standard, and gutxiago may replace gutxi.

At a time. To say at, put the plural place ending -etan on the hour. Ask with Zer ordutan?

  • ordu batean at one (singular, like ordu bata)
  • bietan or ordu bietan at two, hiruretan at three, lauretan at four, hamarretan at ten
  • hiru eta erdietan at half past three, bostak laurden gutxitan at a quarter to five
  • seiak eta bostean at five past six (the ending goes on the minutes)

This is the same ending as etxean (at home), used in its plural form. See inessive -n.

Morning or evening. Add the part of the day with -ko: goizeko zortzietan (at eight in the morning), arratsaldeko bostetan (at five in the afternoon), gaueko hamarretan (at ten at night). See days and times of day and -ko with time words.

Examples (6)

  1. Zer ordu da? — Ordu bata da.

    What time is it? — It's one o'clock.

    Word by Word: What hour is? — Hour one-the is.

  2. Laurak dira.

    It's four o'clock.

    Word by Word: Four-the they-are.

    Every hour after one takes a plural verb.

  3. Hiru eta erdiak dira.

    It's half past three.

    Word by Word: Three and half-the they-are.

    The Academy's standard form puts the article on erdi.

  4. Bostak laurden gutxi dira.

    It's a quarter to five.

    Word by Word: Five-the quarter less they-are.

  5. Zer ordutan hasten da klasea? — Hamarretan.

    What time does the class start? — At ten.

    At a time takes -etan.

  6. Goizeko zazpietan jaikitzen naiz.

    I get up at seven in the morning.

    Word by Word: Morning-of seven-at getting-up I-am.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a singular verb for hours after one.

    Hirurak da.
    Hirurak dira.

    Only one o'clock is singular (Ordu bata da). Every other hour takes dira.

  • Leaving out the at ending.

    Hirurak etorriko naiz.
    Hiruretan etorriko naiz.

    To say at a time, add -etan to the hour: hiruretan, lauretan, hamarretan.

  • Dropping the article from one o'clock.

    Ordu bat da.
    Ordu bata da.

    Ordu bat da means It is one hour, a length of time. For the clock time, say Ordu bata da.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

zer ordu da?Level 1Telling the Time

Learn This First

Telling the time needs numbers and the inessive.

Words in This Pattern

zerordu