Language/Hungarian/Vocabulary/Telling-Time
As a Hungarian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I can confidently say that telling time in Hungarian is relatively easy. In this lesson, we will learn the basics of telling time in Hungarian, including how to use the 24-hour clock and express time in different ways such as "half past" and "quarter to".
What Time Is It?
Before we dive into telling time in Hungarian, let's review the basic numbers from 1 to 60, which will be useful for telling time.
Basic Numbers
When counting from 1 to 20, the numbers in Hungarian are:
| Hungarian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| egy | "edj" | one |
| kettő | "ket-toe" | two |
| három | "ha-room" | three |
| négy | "neggy" | four |
| öt | "öt" | five |
| hat | "hut" | six |
| hét | "hayt" | seven |
| nyolc | "nyoltz" | eight |
| kilenc | "key-lentz" | nine |
| tíz | "tease" | ten |
| tizenegy | "tee-zen-edj" | eleven |
| tizenkettő | "tee-zen-ket-toe" | twelve |
| tizenhárom | "tee-zen-ha-room" | thirteen |
| tizennégy | "teen-négy" | fourteen |
| tizenöt | "tee-zen-öt" | fifteen |
| tizenhat | "tee-zen-hut" | sixteen |
| tizenhét | "tee-zen-hayt" | seventeen |
| tizennyolc | "teen-nyoltz" | eighteen |
| tizenkilenc | "tee-zen-key-lentz" | nineteen |
| húsz | "hoose" | twenty |
When counting from 21 to 60, you will combine the numbers for "twenty" (húsz) and then add the appropriate number from 1 to 20. For example:
- 21 = húszegy (hoose-edj)
- 22 = húszkettő (hoose-ket-toe)
- 32 = harminckettő (harmint-ket-toe)
- 59 = ötvenkilenc (ötven-key-lentz)
When telling time, we will use these basic numbers to express the hour and the minutes.
The 24-Hour Clock
In Hungary, the 24-hour clock is commonly used in everyday life. This means that instead of using "am" and "pm" like in English, we simply state the hour and minute in a 24-hour format. For example:
- 2:00 pm = 14:00 (tizen-négy óra)
- 11:30 pm = 23:30 (huszonhárom óra harminc perc)
Using the 24-hour clock may take some getting used to, but it can be helpful in avoiding confusion and making sure everyone is on the same page.
Expressing Time in Hungarian
Let's practice telling time in Hungarian using the following examples:
|- |4:15 || Négy óra tizenöt perc (Ne-grye"oh-ra-tee-zen-öt-per-ts) |- |9:30 || Kilenc óra harminc perc (kee-lentz"oh-ra-har-mint-pert-ts) |- |1:45 || Tizenöt perc múlva kettő óra lesz (tee-zen-öt-per-ts-mool-va-ket-toe"oh-ra-les) |- |6:20 || Hatosztályú járat fél hetedkor indul (ha-toes"tah-joo-yah-rat-fayl-hay-ted-kor-in-dool) |-
As you can see in the examples above, we typically state the hour first, followed by the minute. When expressing time exactly on the hour, we can use the phrase "pontosan" to indicate that the time is precise, such as "hat órakor pontosan" (exactly at six o'clock).
We can also express time in different ways, such as:
Half Past
To say "half past," we use the phrase "fél" followed by the next hour. For example:
- 3:30 = három óra harminc perc után fél négy (ha-room"oh-ra-har-mint-perk-oo-tahn-fayl-neggy)
- 5:30 = öt óra harminc perc múlva fél hatkor lesz (öt"oh-ra-har-mint-pert-ts-mool-va-fayl-hut-kor-les)
Quarter To/After
To express "quarter to" or "quarter after," we use the phrases "negyed" (quarter) and "tizen-öt" (fifteen). For example:
- 3:45 = három óra negyed (negyvenöt) (ha-room"oh-ra-neggy-edd-neggy-ven-öt)
- 4:45 = öt perccel negyed (negyvenöt) hat van (öt-per-tsel-neggy-edd-negy-ven-öt-hut-van)
Other Phrases
We can also use other phrases to express time. For example, "reggel" means "in the morning," "délben" means "at noon," and "este" means "in the evening".
- 10:00 am = reggel tíz óra (re-ggel"tease"oh-ra)
- 2:00 pm = délután kettő óra (day-lutahn"ket-toe"oh-ra)
- 8:00 pm = este nyolc óra (es-te"nyoltz"oh-ra)
By practicing these different ways of expressing time, you will be able to navigate everyday situations more confidently and accurately.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have learned the basics of telling time in Hungarian! Remember to always start with the hour first, followed by the minute. Practice using the 24-hour clock, as well as expressing time in different ways such as "half past" and "quarter to/after". With practice, you'll be able to tell time like a pro in no time.
Related Lessons
- Business and work
- Asking for directions
- Health
- Geography
- Travel and transportation
- Food and drink
- Count to 10
- Days of the Week
- Body
- Art and architecture
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