Language/Catalan/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Catalan → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Telling Time

Welcome to the lesson on telling time in Catalan! Understanding how to tell time is an essential skill that will enhance your ability to navigate conversations and everyday situations in the Catalan-speaking world. Whether you're planning a meeting, setting up a date, or simply asking someone when an event begins, knowing how to express time accurately is key.

In this lesson, we will explore the vocabulary and structures you need to effectively tell time in Catalan. We will cover:

• Basic vocabulary related to time

• How to express hours and minutes

• Phrases for discussing past, present, and future events

• Practical exercises to reinforce your learning

By the end of this lesson, you will feel confident in your ability to tell time and engage in conversations about schedules and events.

Basic Vocabulary

Let's start with some essential vocabulary related to telling time. Familiarizing yourself with these words will lay a solid foundation for your understanding.

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
hora	'ɔɾə	hour
minut	mi'nut	minute
segon	se'ɡun	second
matí	ma'ti	morning
tarda	'taɾðə	afternoon
nit	nit	night
dia	'diə	day
setmana	sə'tma.nə	week
mes	'mɛs	month
any	'aɲi	year

Telling the Hour

When telling the hour in Catalan, the structure is relatively straightforward. The formula is:

• Es la... (It is... - for 1:00)

• Són les... (It is... - for 2:00 and onwards)

To express the hour, you use the following examples:

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
És l'una	ɛs 'lu.nə	It's one o'clock
Són les dues	son lɛs 'du.əs	It's two o'clock
Són les tres	son lɛs 'tɾɛs	It's three o'clock
Són les quatre	son lɛs 'kwatɾə	It's four o'clock
Són les cinc	son lɛs 'siŋk	It's five o'clock
Són les sis	son lɛs 'sis	It's six o'clock
Són les set	son lɛs 'sɛt	It's seven o'clock
Són les vuit	son lɛs 'buit	It's eight o'clock
Són les nou	son lɛs 'nɔu	It's nine o'clock
Són les deu	son lɛs 'ðɛu	It's ten o'clock

Telling Minutes

When adding minutes, you simply append the number of minutes after the hour. You can use the word i (and) to connect the hour and minutes:

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
És l'una i cinc	ɛs 'lu.nə i 'siŋk	It's one oh five
Són les dues i deu	son lɛs 'du.əs i 'ðɛu	It's two ten
Són les tres i vint	son lɛs 'tɾɛs i 'viŋt	It's three twenty
Són les quatre i quinze	son lɛs 'kwatɾə i 'kinze	It's four fifteen
Són les cinc i mitja	son lɛs 'siŋk i 'mitʒə	It's five thirty
Són les sis i vint-i-cinc	son lɛs 'sis i vin.ti'siŋk	It's six twenty-five
Són les set i cinc minuts	son lɛs 'sɛt i 'siŋk mi'nuts	It's seven five minutes
Són les vuit i cinc minuts	son lɛs 'buit i 'siŋk mi'nuts	It's eight five minutes
Són les nou i quart	son lɛs 'nɔu i 'kwat	It's nine quarter
Són les deu i mitja	son lɛs 'ðɛu i 'mitʒə	It's ten thirty

Discussing Past and Future Times

When talking about past or future times, we use the following phrases:

• Fa... (ago - for past events)

• D'aquí a... (in... - for future events)

Examples include:

Catalan	Pronunciation	English
Fa cinc minuts	fa 'siŋk mi'nuts	Five minutes ago
Fa una hora	fa 'u.nə 'ɔɾə	One hour ago
D'aquí a cinc minuts	ðə'ki a 'siŋk mi'nuts	In five minutes
D'aquí a mitja hora	ðə'ki a 'mitʒə 'ɔɾə	In half an hour
Fa un dia	fa un 'diə	One day ago
D'aquí a un mes	ðə'ki a un 'mɛs	In a month
Fa una setmana	fa 'u.nə sə'tma.nə	One week ago
D'aquí a un any	ðə'ki a un 'aɲi	In a year
Fa un minut	fa un mi'nut	One minute ago
D'aquí a una hora	ðə'ki a 'u.nə 'ɔɾə	In one hour

Exercises and Practice Scenarios

Now that we've covered the essential vocabulary and phrases, it's time to put your knowledge to the test! Below are some exercises that will help you practice telling time in Catalan:

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct Catalan expression for the time given in English.

1. It is two o'clock: _____________

2. It's three fifteen: _____________

3. Five minutes ago: _____________

4. In half an hour: _____________

5. It is eight twenty-five: _____________

Exercise 2: Match the Time

Match the English time with its Catalan equivalent.

English	Catalan
One o'clock	_____________
Six twenty	_____________
Ten thirty	_____________
Four fifteen	_____________
Nine quarter	_____________

Exercise 3: Create Sentences

Use the times provided to create sentences in Catalan.

1. 7:00

2. 2:30

3. 4:45

4. 1:15

5. 3:20

Exercise 4: Convert to English

Translate the following Catalan sentences into English.

1. Són les cinc i mitja.

2. Fa un mes.

3. D'aquí a tres minuts.

4. Són les nou i quart.

5. Fa dues hores.

Exercise 5: Short Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in complete sentences in Catalan:

1. Quina hora és?

2. Què vas fer fa mitja hora?

3. Què faràs d'aquí a una hora?

4. Quina hora serà d'aquí a dues hores?

5. Quina hora era fa una setmana?

Solutions and Explanations

Now, let's take a look at the solutions to the exercises.

Solutions to Exercise 1

1. Són les dues.

2. Són les tres i quinze.

3. Fa cinc minuts.

4. D'aquí a mitja hora.

5. Són les vuit i vint-i-cinc.

Solutions to Exercise 2

1. És l'una.

2. Són les sis i vint.

3. Són les deu i mitja.

4. Són les quatre i quinze.

5. Són les nou i quart.

Solutions to Exercise 3

1. Són les set.

2. Són les dues i mitja.

3. Són les quatre i quaranta-cinc.

4. És l'una i quinze.

5. Són les tres i vint.

Solutions to Exercise 4

1. It's five thirty.

2. One month ago.

3. In three minutes.

4. It's nine quarter.

5. Two hours ago.

Solutions to Exercise 5

1. Són les cinc.

2. Fa mitja hora vaig menjar.

3. D'aquí a una hora faré un cafè.

4. D'aquí a dues hores seran les quatre.

5. Fa una setmana eren les deu.

Congratulations! You have now learned how to tell time in Catalan, and you’ve practiced applying this knowledge through various exercises. Keep practicing, and you'll gain confidence in your speaking and comprehension skills!

Table of Contents - Catalan Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Catalan

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Articles and Nouns

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Noun Gender and Plurals

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Adjectives and Pronouns

• Adjective Agreement
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• At the Restaurant

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Coordinating Conjunctions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Catalan Culture

• History and Geography
• Traditions and Celebrations

Sources

• Catalan Tutorial: Basic Catalan Phrases, Vocabulary, and Grammar
• Catalan - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
• Is Catalan hard or easy to learn? (It depends.) - Relearn A Language

Other Lessons

• Languages
• Prepositions in Catalan
• Literary and academic vocabulary
• Computer
• Greetings
• City
• Food
• At the Restaurant
• Useful Expression in Catalan
• Family Members

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