kelinta valanda

Telling the Time

Level 2

Kelinta valanda? What time is it? – Trečia. Three. · Kelintą valandą? At what time? – Trečią. At three.

How It Works

What time is it? Kelinta (dabar) valanda? The answer is a feminine ordinal number, because valanda is feminine: Pirma valanda. (It is one o'clock.) Dabar trečia. (It is three now.) Jau dvylikta. (It is already twelve.)

At what time? Ask Kelintą valandą? and answer with the accusative: trečią valandą (at three), septintą vakaro (at seven in the evening), aštuntą ryto (at eight in the morning). This is the same accusative as in pirmadienį and kitą savaitę.

From ... to ... The prepositions nuo and iki take the genitive: nuo devintos iki penktos (from nine to five), iki dešimtos valandos (until ten o'clock).

Another common way. You will also hear the time with ordinary numbers: Kiek valandų? – Dabar šešios. (What time is it? – It is six.) Both ways are correct Lithuanian, and both occur in everyday speech. For minutes, people often just say the numbers: trys penkiolika (3:15). For half past and quarter to, see half past and quarter to.

Timetables. Schedules use the 24-hour clock: Traukinys išvyksta aštuonioliktą valandą. (The train leaves at 18:00.) In writing, times look like 19.30 val. or 18 val.

Examples (6)

  1. Kelinta dabar valanda? – Pirma.

    What time is it now? – One o'clock.

    Word by Word: Which-in-order now hour? – First.

  2. Jau vienuolikta valanda.

    It is already eleven o'clock.

  3. Pamoka prasideda devintą valandą.

    The lesson starts at nine o'clock.

    Devintą is accusative because it answers "at what time?".

  4. Susitikime septintą vakaro.

    Let's meet at seven in the evening.

  5. Parduotuvė dirba nuo aštuntos iki dvidešimtos.

    The shop is open from eight to eight (8:00-20:00).

    Nuo and iki take the genitive: aštuntos, dvidešimtos.

  6. Kiek valandų? – Jau šešios.

    What time is it? – It is already six.

    The everyday cardinal way of telling the time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative for "at" a time.

    Susitinkame trečia valanda.
    Susitinkame trečią valandą.

    To say at what time something happens, the ordinal and valanda go into the accusative.

  • Using the nominative after nuo and iki.

    Dirbu nuo aštunta iki penkta.
    Dirbu nuo aštuntos iki penktos.

    Nuo and iki always take the genitive: aštuntos, penktos.

  • Using a masculine ordinal for the hour.

    Dabar antras valanda.
    Dabar antra valanda.

    Valanda is feminine, so the hour is feminine too: antra, trečia, penkta.

How It Connects

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

kelinta valandaLevel 2Telling the Time

Learn This First

Clock hours use feminine ordinals, with the accusative for at a time.

Words in This Pattern

valandakelintas