Halves, Quarters and Thirds

Level 3

Hallef works like an adjective: eng hallef Stonn, en halleft Joer. Véierel and Drëttel are nouns: e Véierel vun der Taart.

How It Works

1. Hallef: half
Hallef stands before a noun and takes the normal adjective endings:

  • feminine: eng hallef Stonn (half an hour)
  • neuter: en halleft Joer (half a year)
  • masculine: en hallwen Dag (half a day), en hallwe Liter (half a litre)

The masculine form is hallwen, with w before the ending; it becomes hallwe by the n-rule. See the neuter -t and the masculine -en. In the dative: an enger hallwer Stonn (in half an hour).

After a verb, hallef means half or halfway: D'Fläsch ass nach hallef voll. (The bottle is still half full.)

2. One and a half
Annerhallef works the same way: annerhallef Stonn (an hour and a half).

3. The half of something: d'Hallschent
When you mean the half of a thing, use the feminine noun Hallschent: d'Hallschent vum Kuch (half of the cake).

4. Other fractions are nouns
Take the ordinal number and add -el. These nouns are all masculine:

  • en Drëttel (a third), from drëtt
  • e Véierel (a quarter), from véiert (the t drops)
  • e Fënneftel (a fifth), en Zéngtel (a tenth)

They do not change after a number: zwee Drëttel, dräi Véierel. Use the masculine zwee, not zwou.

5. With vun
When the next noun has its own article or possessive, link it with vun: e Véierel vun der Taart, en Drëttel vun de Leit. A plain amount needs no vun: e Véierel Kéis (a quarter pound of cheese). See quantity + noun.

6. On the clock
These words also tell the time: hallwer dräi is half past two (half way to three), and Véierel gives quarter past and quarter to. See telling the time.

Examples (6)

  1. Dee Film dauert just eng hallef Stonn.

    That film only lasts half an hour.

    Stonn is feminine, so hallef has no ending.

  2. Ech war en halleft Joer an Amerika.

    I was in America for half a year.

    Joer is neuter, so hallef takes -t.

  3. Ech hätt gär en hallwe Liter Mëllech.

    I would like half a litre of milk.

    Liter is masculine: hallwen, which loses its n before L.

  4. Ech krut e Véierel vun der Taart.

    I got a quarter of the cake.

    Véierel is a masculine noun, so the article is e(n). Vun links it to der Taart.

  5. Am Concours sinn zwee Drëttel vun de Kandidaten ausgescheet.

    Two thirds of the candidates were eliminated in the competition.

    Drëttel does not change after a number: zwee Drëttel.

  6. Mir hunn d'Hallschent vum Kuch scho giess!

    We have already eaten half of the cake!

    For the half of something, use the noun Hallschent.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the feminine form hallef with a neuter noun.

    Mir wunnen eng hallef Joer hei.
    Mir wunnen en halleft Joer hei.

    Joer is neuter, so the article is en and hallef takes -t: en halleft Joer.

  • Treating Véierel as feminine.

    Ech krut eng Véierel vun der Taart.
    Ech krut e Véierel vun der Taart.

    Véierel, Drëttel and the other fraction nouns are masculine, so they take en, which becomes e before V.

  • Using hallef as a noun for the half of something.

    Mir hunn d'Hallef vum Kuch giess.
    Mir hunn d'Hallschent vum Kuch giess.

    Hallef is an adjective. For the half of a thing, use the noun d'Hallschent.

How It Connects

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

Halves, Quarters and ThirdsLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Halves, Quarters and Thirds, learn Ordinal Numbers and Dates and Adjective Endings: Neuter -t.

Words in This Pattern

hallefVéierelDrëttel