Language/Polish/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Polish → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Telling Time

Welcome to this exciting lesson on telling time in Polish! Understanding how to tell time is essential when navigating daily life in Poland, whether you’re catching a train, attending an appointment, or simply planning your day. Knowing how to express time will not only enhance your communication skills but also deepen your connection to Polish culture.

In this lesson, we will cover:

• The vocabulary related to telling time

• The structure of hours and minutes in both 12-hour and 24-hour formats

• Practical examples illustrating how to use time expressions in sentences

So, let’s dive right into the world of clocks and watches!

Vocabulary for Telling Time

To get started, let's familiarize ourselves with key vocabulary related to telling time. Below, you'll find a table that includes the most important words and phrases you'll need.

Polish	Pronunciation	English
godzina	go-JEE-nah	hour
minuta	mee-NOO-tah	minute
północ	POOL-notz	midnight
południe	poh-OO-dnyay	noon
rano	RAH-noh	in the morning
popołudniu	po-po-OO-dnyoo	in the afternoon
wieczorem	vyet-CHO-rem	in the evening
teraz	TEH-raz	now
za	zah	in (time reference)
przed	pshed	before
po	poh	after
ile	EE-leh	how many
kwadrans	KVAH-drans	quarter (15 minutes)
pół godziny	pool go-JEE-nee	half an hour
godzina dziesiąta	go-JEE-nah dzyay-SYOHN-tah	ten o'clock
godzina dwunasta	go-JEE-nah dvun-AH-stah	twelve o'clock
pięć	pyen-TCH	five
dziesięć	dzyay-SHENCH	ten
piętnast	pyet-NAHST	fifteen
dwadzieścia	dvah-DZYEN-shchah	twenty
trzydzieści	tshr-ee-DZYEN-shee	thirty

Understanding Time Formats

Poland uses both the 12-hour and 24-hour time formats. Let’s break each down so you can feel comfortable using either format.

12-Hour Format

In the 12-hour format, we typically use "AM" and "PM" to distinguish between morning and evening times. However, in Polish, we don’t always use these terms explicitly, as context often makes it clear.

• Morning (AM): Used from midnight until noon.

• Afternoon/Evening (PM): Used from noon until midnight.

Here are some examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
godzina ósma	go-JEE-nah OOS-mah	eight o'clock (AM)
godzina szesnasta	go-JEE-nah shes-NAH-stah	four o'clock (PM)

24-Hour Format

The 24-hour format is widely used in Poland, especially in timetables, schedules, and formal contexts. This format runs from 00:00 (midnight) to 23:59 (one minute before midnight).

Here are some examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
godzina zero	go-JEE-nah ZER-oh	00:00 (midnight)
godzina czternasta	go-JEE-nah ch-ter-NAH-stah	14:00 (2 PM)
godzina dziewiętnasta	go-JEE-nah dzyay-vyent-NAH-stah	19:00 (7 PM)

Expressing Time in Polish

Now that we know the vocabulary and the formats, let's learn how to express time using the Polish structure.

When telling the time, we generally say:

• It is [hour] (and/or) [minutes].

In Polish, this translates to:

• Jest godzina [hour] (i/lub) [minutes].

Here are some structures:

• Jest godzina trzecia (It is three o'clock).

• Jest godzina czwarta pięć (It is four o'clock and five minutes).

Now, let’s look at some practical examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Jest godzina pierwsza	yest go-JEE-nah PYER-vshah	It is one o'clock
Jest godzina druga	yest go-JEE-nah DROO-gah	It is two o'clock
Jest godzina piąta	yest go-JEE-nah PYON-tah	It is five o'clock
Jest godzina siódma	yest go-JEE-nah SHYOOD-mah	It is seven o'clock
Jest godzina dziewiąta	yest go-JEE-nah dzyay-VYON-tah	It is nine o'clock
Jest godzina jedenasta	yest go-JEE-nah yed-en-AH-stah	It is eleven o'clock
Jest godzina piętnasta	yest go-JEE-nah pyet-NAH-stah	It is three o'clock PM
Jest godzina szesnasta	yest go-JEE-nah shes-NAH-stah	It is four o'clock PM
Jest godzina dwudziesta	yest go-JEE-nah dvuh-DZYEN-stah	It is eight o'clock PM
Jest godzina dwudziesta pierwsza	yest go-JEE-nah dvuh-DZYEN-stah PYER-vshah	It is nine o'clock PM

Minutes: Adding to the Hour

When you want to indicate minutes past the hour, you can simply add the minutes after the hour.

• Jest godzina [hour] (It is [hour])

• i [minutes] (and [minutes])

For example:

• Jest godzina piąta i dziesięć (It is five o'clock and ten minutes).

Here are some examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Jest godzina szósta i pięć	yest go-JEE-nah SHOOS-tah i pyen-TCH	It is six o'clock and five minutes
Jest godzina ósma i piętnaście	yest go-JEE-nah OOS-mah i pyet-NAH-stah	It is eight o'clock and fifteen minutes
Jest godzina dziewiąta i trzydzieści	yest go-JEE-nah dzyay-VYON-tah i tshr-ee-DZYEN-shee	It is nine o'clock and thirty minutes

Minutes: Before the Hour

When the time is approaching the next hour, you can express it as:

• Jest [minutes] przed [hour] (It is [minutes] before [hour]).

For example:

• Jest pięć przed drugą (It is five minutes before two o'clock).

Here are some examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Jest pięć przed szóstą	yest pyen-TCH przed SHOOS-tah	It is five minutes before six o'clock
Jest dziesięć przed dziewiątą	yest dzyay-SHENCH przed dzyay-VYON-tah	It is ten minutes before nine o'clock

Using "Kwadrans" and "Pół"

In Polish, you can also refer to quarters and halves of an hour, which adds some variety to your expressions of time.

• Kwadrans - quarter (15 minutes)

• Pół - half (30 minutes)

Examples:

Polish	Pronunciation	English
Jest kwadrans po drugiej	yest KVAH-drans poh DROO-gay	It is a quarter past two
Jest pół godziny po trzeciej	yest pool go-JEE-nee poh TSHET-shey	It is half past three
Jest kwadrans przed piątą	yest KVAH-drans przed PYON-tah	It is a quarter before five

Practice Exercises

Now that you have a solid understanding of telling time in Polish, it’s time to practice! Below are exercises designed to help reinforce what you’ve learned.

1. Translate the following times into Polish:

• 7:15 AM

• 12:30 PM

• 3:45 PM

2. Write the time in English:

• Jest godzina ósma i pięć.

• Jest kwadrans przed drugą.

3. Complete the sentences:

• Jest godzina __________ (four o'clock).

• Jest __________ (ten) przed __________ (six).

4. Match the time with the correct expression:

• 10:00

• 1:30

• 11:15

a) Jest godzina jedenasta i piętnaście.

b) Jest godzina pierwsza i trzydzieści.

c) Jest godzina dziesiąta.

5. Fill in the blanks:

• Jest __________ (half) po __________ (two).

• Jest __________ (five) przed __________ (ten).

6. Convert the following 12-hour times into 24-hour format:

• 2:00 PM

• 11:00 AM

7. Write a short dialogue that includes asking for the time and responding.

8. Listen to a native speaker and write down the time they say in Polish.

9. Practice with a partner. One person states a time in Polish, and the other translates it into English.

10. Create a schedule for your day using Polish time expressions.

Answers to Exercises

1.

• 7:15 AM → Jest kwadrans po siódmej.

• 12:30 PM → Jest pół godziny po dwunastej.

• 3:45 PM → Jest kwadrans przed czwartą.

2.

• Jest godzina ósma i pięć. → It is eight o'clock and five minutes.

• Jest kwadrans przed drugą. → It is a quarter before two.

3.

• Jest godzina czwarta.

• Jest dziesięć przed szóstą.

4.

• 10:00 → c) Jest godzina dziesiąta.

• 1:30 → b) Jest godzina pierwsza i trzydzieści.

• 11:15 → a) Jest godzina jedenasta i piętnaście.

5.

• Jest pół godziny po drugiej.

• Jest pięć przed dziesiątą.

6.

• 2:00 PM → 14:00

• 11:00 AM → 11:00

7.

Example dialogue:

A: Przepraszam, która godzina? (Excuse me, what time is it?)

B: Jest godzina trzecia. (It is three o'clock.)

8.

(Sample answer varies based on what the student hears.)

9.

(Students can practice by pairing up and taking turns.)

10.

(Schedule examples will vary by student.)

Feel free to revisit this lesson whenever you need to brush up on your time-telling skills. With practice, you'll be able to navigate time in Polish with ease!

Table of Contents - Polish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• Polish Alphabet
• Pronunciation Rules

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Verb-Object
• Questions and Negations

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Noun Gender
• Definite and Indefinite Articles

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative

  ---

Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Polish Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Polish Cuisine

Sources

• Telling Time in Polish - Everything You Need to Know
• How To Tell The Time In Polish
• Date & Time in the Polish language | Mówić po polsku

Other Lessons

• Holidays
• Slang
• Advanced Food and Drink Vocabulary
• Introduction
• Count from 0 to 100
• Numbers 1 100
• Sports
• Medecine
• Seasons
• Count to 10

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