Language/Romanian/Vocabulary/Telling-Time
As a Romanian language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I believe that learning how to tell time is an essential skill for every beginner Romanian learner. In this lesson, we will cover the basic concepts of telling time in Romanian, including hours and minutes.
The Basic Concept of Telling Time
When we tell time, we use hours and minutes. The hours are represented by the numbers 1 to 12, with "am" indicating the time before midday, and "pm" indicating the time after midday.
In Romanian, we use the 12-hour clock system, just like in English. However, keep in mind that when telling time, we use the word "la" in Romanian, which means "at."
Vocabulary for Telling Time
Before we start practicing telling time, let's learn some useful words and phrases that we will use:
- ceas - clock/watch
- ora - hour (singular)
- minute - minutes (plural)
- jumătate - half past (literally "half")
- fix - sharp (literally "exact" or "precise")
- acum - now
- dimineața - morning
- după-amiaza - afternoon
- seara - evening / night
Telling Time on the Hour
When telling time on the hour, we use the word "ora" followed by the number indicating the hour. We do not use any preposition before the hour.
- Este ora unu. - It is one o'clock.
- Este ora doi. - It is two o'clock.
- Este ora zece. - It is ten o'clock.
However, when it's noon or midnight we say:
- Este ora douăsprezece (prânzul / noaptea). - It is twelve (noon/midnight).
Telling Time After the Hour
When telling time after the hour, we use the word "la" followed by the number indicating the minutes.
- Este un sfert la două. - It is a quarter past one. ("Quarter to two")
- Este zece minute la ora doi. - It is ten minutes past two.
- Este treizeci și cinci de minute la ora patru. - It is thirty-five minutes past four.
Note: When telling time in Romanian, it is common to also add "and" between the hours and minutes in cases such as "fifteen past two" and "twenty to three."
Telling Time Before the Hour
When telling time before the hour, we use "minus" or "la" followed by the number of minutes left until the next hour.
- Este minus zece minute până la patru. - It is ten minutes to four.
- Este la un sfert până la trei. - It is a quarter to three.
- Este la două fix. - It is exactly two o'clock.
Practice Telling Time
Let's practice telling time in Romanian!
| Romanian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ceasul este la unu. | [ches-ool ess-teh la oo-noo] | The time is one o'clock. |
| Ceasul este la două. | [ches-ool ess-teh la doo-oh] | The time is two o'clock. |
| Este ora nouă. | [es-teh o-rah noo-uh] | It is nine o'clock. |
| Este ora cinci. | [es-teh o-rah chinch] | It is five o'clock. |
| Este la un sfert până la trei. | [es-teh la oon sfert pun-uh la trei] | It is a quarter to three. |
| Este la jumătate până la cinci. | [es-teh la joo-muh-tate pun-uh la chinch] | It is half past four. |
| Este la un sfert după ora trei. | [es-teh la oon sfert doo-puh o-rah trei] | It is a quarter past three. |
| Este la douăzeci de minute la patru. | [es-teh la doo-uh-zech deh mee-noo-teh la pa-troo] | It is twenty minutes to four. |
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have now learned how to tell time in Romanian! Keep in mind that the more you practice, the easier it will become. In the next lesson, we will learn about basic adjectives, which will help you describe people, places, and objects. Good luck with your Romanian learning journey!