सवा / साढे / पौने

Quarter and Half Hours

Level 2Sounds Like savā, sāḍhē ra paunē

सवा is a quarter past, साढे is half past and पौने is a quarter to.

How It Works

Nepali has three small words for the quarters and the half.

Put the word before the number of the hour. पौने names the hour that is coming: पौने आठ means a quarter before eight, which is 7:45.

One and two are special. Half past one is डेढ बजे and half past two is अढाई बजे. Do not say साढे एक for 1:30.

Minutes come in a later entry. Use these words for the quarters and the half, and say the hour with बजे for the rest.

बस सवा आठ बजे छुट्छ।
The bus leaves at a quarter past eight.
सवा adds a quarter to आठ.
म साढे नौ बजे सुत्छु।
I go to sleep at half past nine.
साढे adds a half to नौ.
कक्षा पौने दस बजे सुरु हुन्छ।
Class starts at a quarter to ten.
पौने takes a quarter off the next hour.
हामी डेढ बजे खाना खान्छौँ।
We eat at half past one.
डेढ is the special word for 1:30.
उनी अढाई बजे आउँछिन्।
She comes at half past two.
अढाई is the special word for 2:30.

Learners say half past one with साढे.
हामी साढे एक बजे खाना खान्छौँ।
हामी डेढ बजे खाना खान्छौँ।
One and two have their own words, डेढ and अढाई.

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

सवा / साढे / पौनेLevel 2Quarter and Half Hours

Quarter and half hours add to the hour.

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