Soat necha?

Telling the Time

Level 2

Soat necha? means What time is it? Answer with soat plus the number: Soat uch (It's three o'clock). For at three, add -da: soat uchda.

How It Works

soat means both clock and hour. In time phrases it simply introduces the number.

  • Asking: Soat necha? or Soat necha boʻldi? (What time is it?). For at what time?, add -da: Soat nechada?
  • Full hours: Soat besh (It's five o'clock), soat beshda (at five).
  • Half past: yarim follows the hour: soat besh yarim (half past five), besh yarimda (at half past five).
  • Minutes past: the hour takes -dan, and oʻtdi means has passed: Soat beshdan oʻn daqiqa oʻtdi (It's ten past five). A quarter is chorak: beshdan chorak oʻtdi (a quarter past five).
  • Minutes to: the coming hour takes -ga: Soat oltiga oʻn daqiqa bor or qoldi (It's ten to six).

daqiqa is the standard word for minute; minut is common in everyday speech.

Parts of the day. Add ertalab (in the morning), tushdan keyin (in the afternoon), kechqurun (in the evening) or kechasi (at night) to make the hour clear: Ertalab soat yettida turaman (I get up at seven in the morning).

Ask with necha, not nechta. Nechta counts separate things, so Soat nechta? sounds like asking how many clocks there are.

Examples (6)

  1. Soat necha boʻldi?

    What time is it?

    Word by Word: Hour how-many became?

  2. Soat uch yarim.

    It's half past three.

    Word by Word: Hour three half.

  3. Dars soat toʻqqizda boshlanadi.

    The lesson starts at nine o'clock.

    Word by Word: Lesson hour nine-at starts.

    -da on the number means at that time.

  4. Soat beshdan oʻn daqiqa oʻtdi.

    It's ten past five.

    Word by Word: Hour five-from ten minute passed.

  5. Soat oltiga oʻn daqiqa bor.

    It's ten to six.

    Word by Word: Hour six-to ten minute exists.

  6. Ertalab soat yettida turaman.

    I get up at seven in the morning.

    Word by Word: Morning hour seven-at I-get-up.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out -da when you mean "at".

    Men soat yetti turaman.
    Men soat yettida turaman.

    A time when something happens needs -da on the number: yettida (at seven).

  • Asking the time with nechta.

    Soat nechta?
    Soat necha?

    Nechta counts separate items. For the time, ask with necha.

  • Putting yarim before the hour.

    Soat yarim uch.
    Soat uch yarim.

    yarim always follows the hour: soat uch yarim is half past three.

How It Connects

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

Soat necha?Level 2Telling the Time

Learn This First

Builds on How Many, From: -dan and Counting Numbers.

Words in This Pattern

soatnechayarimda