đ Telling the Time â Az idĆ
đ Telling the Time â Az idĆ
Hungarian time has one big surprise: the quarter and half hours are named after the hour that is coming, not the one that has passed. Learn that one idea and the rest is numbers, which you already know (see the Hungarian numbers lesson).
Pronunciation quick-guide:
a = "o" (hot)
ĂĄ = "aa" (father)
Ă© = "ay" (day)
ö / Ć = "er" (fur, no r)
Ăș = "oo" (moon)
cs = "ch" (church)
sz = "s" (sun)
s = "sh" (shop)
gy = soft "dj"
ny = "ny" (canyon)
â Asking the Time â HĂĄny Ăłra van?
| Hungarian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| HĂĄny Ăłra van? | haany OH-ro von | What time is it? (literally "how many hours are there?") |
| Mennyi az idĆ? | MEN-nyi oz I-der | What's the time? (literally "how much is the time?") |
| Elnézést, tudja, håny óra van? | EL-nay-zaysht, TOOD-yo, haany OH-ro von | Excuse me, do you know what time it is? (polite) |
| HĂĄnykor? | HAANY-kor | At what time? |
1ïžâŁ On the Hour â Pontosan
Say the number, then óra. For exactly on the hour you can add pontosan ("exactly"). Remember that 2 and 12 take két before óra.
| Time | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | egy Ăłra | edj OH-ro |
| 2:00 | két óra | kayt OH-ro |
| 3:00 | hĂĄrom Ăłra | HAA-rom OH-ro |
| 4:00 | négy óra | naydj OH-ro |
| 5:00 | öt óra | ert OH-ro |
| 6:00 | hat Ăłra | hot OH-ro |
| 7:00 | hét óra | hayt OH-ro |
| 8:00 | nyolc Ăłra | nyolts OH-ro |
| 9:00 | kilenc Ăłra | KEE-lents OH-ro |
| 10:00 | tĂz Ăłra | teez OH-ro |
| 11:00 | tizenegy Ăłra | TEE-zen-edj OH-ro |
| 12:00 | tizenkét óra / dél / éjfél | TEE-zen-kayt OH-ro / dayl / AYJ-fayl |
Add van if you want a full answer: HĂĄrom Ăłra van. (It's three o'clock.) Pontosan hat Ăłra van. (It's exactly six.)
đ§ Quarters and Halves â Negyed, fĂ©l, hĂĄromnegyed
This is the part to learn properly. Hungarian counts toward the next hour: 3:30 is "half of the fourth hour", so fél négy, not "half three". Compare English "half past three".
| Time | Hungarian | Say it | The logic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | hĂĄrom Ăłra | HAA-rom OH-ro | The hour itself |
| 3:15 | negyed négy | NEDJ-ed naydj | A quarter of the fourth hour has passed |
| 3:30 | fél négy | fayl naydj | Half of the fourth hour |
| 3:45 | håromnegyed négy | HAA-rom-nedj-ed naydj | Three quarters of the fourth hour |
| 4:00 | négy óra | naydj OH-ro | The next hour is reached |
The same rule works all round the clock. Here it is for the evening:
| Time | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 6:15 | negyed hét | NEDJ-ed hayt |
| 6:30 | fél hét | fayl hayt |
| 6:45 | håromnegyed hét | HAA-rom-nedj-ed hayt |
| 11:30 | fĂ©l tizenkettĆ | fayl TEE-zen-ket-ter |
â±ïž Minutes â Percek
For the minutes in between, Hungarians count from the nearest landmark: the hour, the quarter, the half or the three-quarters. MĂșlt means "past" (after the landmark) and mĂșlva means "in ⊠minutes" (before the next landmark).
| Time | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 3:05 | öt perccel mĂșlt hĂĄrom | ert PERT-tsel moolt HAA-rom |
| 3:10 | tĂz perccel mĂșlt hĂĄrom | teez PERT-tsel moolt HAA-rom |
| 3:20 | öt perccel mĂșlt negyed nĂ©gy | ert PERT-tsel moolt NEDJ-ed naydj |
| 3:25 | öt perc mĂșlva fĂ©l nĂ©gy | ert perts MOOL-vo fayl naydj |
| 3:35 | öt perccel mĂșlt fĂ©l nĂ©gy | ert PERT-tsel moolt fayl naydj |
| 3:40 | öt perc mĂșlva hĂĄromnegyed nĂ©gy | ert perts MOOL-vo HAA-rom-nedj-ed naydj |
| 3:50 | öt perccel mĂșlt hĂĄromnegyed nĂ©gy | ert PERT-tsel moolt HAA-rom-nedj-ed naydj |
| 3:55 | öt perc mĂșlva nĂ©gy | ert perts MOOL-vo naydj |
The easy way out: say it like a digital clock
You do not have to use mĂșlt and mĂșlva. Hungarians also say the hour and the minutes, hĂĄrom Ăłra öt perc (3:05), hĂĄrom Ăłra huszonöt perc (3:25), nĂ©gy Ăłra negyvenöt perc (4:45). It is always understood, and it is the form used in timetables and announcements.
đ The 24-Hour Clock â A 24 ĂłrĂĄs idĆ
For trains, buses, opening hours and appointments Hungarians use the 24-hour clock, said in full: hour, Ăłra, minutes, perc.
| Time | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | nulla óra / éjfél | NOOL-lo OH-ro / AYJ-fayl |
| 08:15 | nyolc óra tizenöt perc | nyolts OH-ro TEE-zen-ert perts |
| 14:30 | tizennégy óra harminc perc | TEE-zen-naydj OH-ro HOR-mints perts |
| 17:45 | tizenhét óra negyvenöt perc | TEE-zen-hayt OH-ro NEDJ-ven-ert perts |
| 21:05 | huszonegy óra öt perc | HOO-son-edj OH-ro ert perts |
đ Parts of the Day â A nap rĂ©szei
Hungarian has no "a.m." and "p.m.". In speech you put the part of the day first: reggel hét óra is 7 a.m., este hét óra is 7 p.m. The ranges below are approximate.
| Hungarian | Say it | English | Roughly |
|---|---|---|---|
| reggel | REG-gel | in the morning | about 5 to 9 |
| dĂ©lelĆtt | DAY-le-lert | late morning | about 9 to 12 |
| dél / délben | dayl / DAYL-ben | noon / at noon | 12:00 |
| délutån | DAYL-oo-taan | in the afternoon | about 12 to 6 |
| este | ESH-te | in the evening | about 6 to 10 |
| Ă©jjel | AY-yel | at night | about 10 to 5 |
| éjfél | AYJ-fayl | midnight | 00:00 |
đ "At" a Time â HĂĄnykor? -kor
To say at a time, add -kor to the last word. The ending never changes with vowel harmony.
| English | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| at 1 | egykor | EDJ-kor |
| at 3 | hĂĄromkor | HAA-rom-kor |
| at 8 | nyolckor | NYOLTS-kor |
| at half past three | fél négykor | fayl NAYDJ-kor |
| at a quarter past five | negyed hatkor | NEDJ-ed HOT-kor |
| at a quarter to seven | håromnegyed hétkor | HAA-rom-nedj-ed HAYT-kor |
| at 17:40 | tizenhét óra negyven perckor | TEE-zen-hayt OH-ro NEDJ-ven PERTS-kor |
| at midnight / at noon | éjfélkor / délben | AYJ-fayl-kor / DAYL-ben |
âïž From ⊠To â -tĂłl / -tĆl ⊠-ig
For a span of time use -tĂłl / -tĆl ("from") and -ig ("until"). The first follows vowel harmony: -tĂłl after back vowels, -tĆl after front vowels.
| English | Hungarian | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| from 9 to 5 | kilenctĆl ötig | KEE-lents-terl ERT-ig |
| from 8 to 4 | nyolctól négyig | NYOLTS-tohl NAYDJ-ig |
| from 6 to 10 | hattĂłl tĂzig | HOT-tohl TEEZ-ig |
| from Monday to Friday | hĂ©tfĆtĆl pĂ©ntekig | HAYT-fer-terl PAYN-tek-ig |
đŹ Time in Use â Az idĆ a gyakorlatban
Six short conversations: asking the time, arranging to meet, working hours, a timetable, running late and a daily routine.
â Excuse Me â ElnĂ©zĂ©st
A:
Elnézést, tudja, håny óra van?
Excuse me, do you know what time it is?
B:
Fél négy.
Half past three.
A:
Köszönöm! A film nĂ©gykor kezdĆdik.
Thank you! The film starts at four.
B:
Akkor siessen! MĂ©g negyedĂłra van.
Then hurry! There's still a quarter of an hour.
⥠Meeting Up â TalĂĄlkozĂĄs
A:
HĂĄnykor talĂĄlkozunk?
What time shall we meet?
B:
HĂĄromnegyed hĂ©tkor a vasĂștĂĄllomĂĄs elĆtt.
At a quarter to seven in front of the station.
A:
Rendben. Nem fogok elkésni.
OK. I won't be late.
B:
Akkor hat óra negyvenötkor ott leszek.
Then at 6:45 I'll be there.
âą Working Hours â MunkaidĆ
A:
MettĆl meddig dolgozol?
What hours do you work?
B:
HĂ©tfĆtĆl pĂ©ntekig, kilenctĆl ötig.
Monday to Friday, from nine to five.
A:
Ăs hĂ©tvĂ©gĂ©n?
And at weekends?
B:
Hétvégén nem dolgozom. Akkor pihenek.
At weekends I don't work. Then I rest.
⣠The Timetable â A menetrend
A:
Mikor indul a vonat Budapestre?
When does the train to Budapest leave?
B:
Tizenhat Ăłra negyven perckor.
At 16:40.
A:
Ăs mikor Ă©rkezik?
And when does it arrive?
B:
Tizennyolc óra tizenöt perckor.
At 18:15.
†Running Late â ElkĂ©sek!
A:
HĂĄny Ăłra van?
What time is it?
B:
TĂz perccel mĂșlt nyolc.
Ten past eight.
A:
Jaj, elkĂ©sek! A megbeszĂ©lĂ©s negyed kilenckor kezdĆdik.
Oh no, I'll be late! The meeting starts at a quarter past eight.
B:
Nyugodj meg, mĂ©g öt percĂŒnk van.
Calm down, we still have five minutes.
â„ A Day â Egy ĂĄtlagos nap
A:
Mikor kelsz fel?
What time do you get up?
B:
Reggel hatkor, mert a munka nyolckor kezdĆdik.
At six in the morning, because work starts at eight.
A:
Ăs mikor fekszel le?
And when do you go to bed?
B:
Este tizenegy körĂŒl.
Around eleven in the evening.
đ SzĂłkincs â Vocabulary
20 key words for talking about time.
| # | Hungarian | English | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | az Ăłra | hour; o'clock; clock; watch | noun | HĂĄny Ăłra van? = what time is it? |
| 2 | a perc | minute | noun | Stays singular after a number: öt perc |
| 3 | a mĂĄsodperc | second | noun | |
| 4 | az idĆ | time; weather | noun | Mennyi az idĆ? = what's the time? |
| 5 | fél | half | adj | Fél négy = 3:30 |
| 6 | negyed | quarter | adj | Negyed négy = 3:15 |
| 7 | håromnegyed | three quarters | adj | Håromnegyed négy = 3:45 |
| 8 | mĂșlt | past, after | adj | Ăt perccel mĂșlt hĂĄrom = 3:05 |
| 9 | mĂșlva | in (so many minutes) | adv | Ăt perc mĂșlva fĂ©l nĂ©gy = 3:25 |
| 10 | reggel | morning; in the morning | noun | Also used as an adverb |
| 11 | délutån | afternoon; in the afternoon | noun | dél + utån ("after noon") |
| 12 | este | evening; in the evening | noun | Jó estét! = good evening |
| 13 | Ă©jjel | night; at night | noun | |
| 14 | az Ă©jfĂ©l | midnight | noun | ĂjfĂ©lkor = at midnight |
| 15 | a dél | noon; south | noun | Délben = at noon |
| 16 | korĂĄn | early | adv | KorĂĄn kelek = I get up early |
| 17 | kĂ©sĆ | late (adj) | adj | KĂ©sĆ van = it's late |
| 18 | pontosan | exactly; on time | adv | Pontosan hat Ăłra |
| 19 | késni | to be late | verb | A vonat késik = the train is late; elkésni = to be late for something |
| 20 | indulni | to leave, to depart | verb | Mikor indul a vonat? |
Real Hungarian Tip â 1: Count towards the next hour
Negyed, fél and håromnegyed name the hour that is coming. 7:15 is negyed nyolc, 7:30 is fél nyolc, 7:45 is håromnegyed nyolc. If you hear "fél nyolc" and think 8:30, you will be an hour late. Tip: a half-hour is "half of the next hour".
Real Hungarian Tip â 2: KĂ©t Ăłra, not kettĆ Ăłra
Before Ăłra (hour) the number 2 is kĂ©t: kĂ©t Ăłra, tizenkĂ©t Ăłra. As the answer to "how many?" or as the last number in a list it is kettĆ: fĂ©l tizenkettĆ (11:30), kettĆkor (at two).
Real Hungarian Tip â 3: When in doubt, use the 24-hour clock
For a train, a flight or an appointment, say it in full: tizenhat Ăłra negyven perckor. Everybody will understand, and nobody will mistake morning for evening.