Telling The Time in Turkish
Learning how to tell the time is an essential skill when mastering a new language. If you’re learning Turkish, understanding how to ask and express time will make everyday conversations smoother.
HOW TO TELL THE TIME IN TURKISH LANGUAGE
In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of telling the time in Turkish, including key phrases and examples.
1. How to Ask for the Time
If you want to ask someone for the time in Turkish, you can say:
Saat kaç? What time is it?
For a more polite version, you can say:
(Sizin) Saatiniz kaç? What time is it
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2. Telling the Hour in Turkish
When telling the time in full hours, use the structure:
Saat [number]
For example:
- Saat bir. It is one o’clock.
- Saat beş. It is five o’clock.
- Saat on. It is ten o’clock.
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3. Expressing Half and Quarter Hours
Half Past
Use the word "buçuk (half)" after the hour. For example:
- Saat 3 buçuk. It is half past three.
- Saat 9 buçuk. It is half past nine.
Quarter Past
Use "[hour] - (y) i / ü / ı / u çeyrek geçiyor" with the hour. For example:
- Saat 2'yi çeyrek geçiyor. It is quarter past two.
- Saat 5'i çeyrek geçiyor. It is quarter past five.
Quarter To
Use "[hour] - (y) e / a çeyrek var" with the upcoming hour. For example:
- Saat 4'e çeyrek var. It is quarter to four.
- Saat 6'ya çeyrek var. It is quarter to six.
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4. Expressing Minutes
Past
Use "[hour] - (y) i / ü / ı / u [minute] geçiyor." For example:
- Saat 5'i 10 geçiyor. It is ten past five.
- Saat 4'ü 20 geçiyor. It is twenty past four.
- Saat 10'u 25 geçiyor. It is twenty five past ten.
To
Use "[hour] - (y) e / a [minute] var." For example:
- Saat 7'ye 5 var. It is five to seven.
- Saat 10'a 20 var. It is twenty to ten.
- Saat 3'e 10 var. It is ten to three.
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5. Using AM and PM
Turkish generally uses a 24-hour clock for formal settings. However, in casual speech, you can specify AM and PM using:
- Sabah (Morning)
- Öğleden sonra (Afternoon)
- Akşam (Evening)
- Gece (Night)
For example:
- Saat sabah 8. It is 8 AM.
- Saat öğleden sonra 3. It is 3 PM.
- Saat akşam 9. It is 9 PM.
- Saat gece 2. It is 2 AM.
6. A Few Extra Tips
- In written Turkish, the 24-hour clock is used frequently, especially for schedules (e.g., 13:45 instead of 1:45 PM).
- In informal conversations, people often drop “Saat” and just say the number.
Mastering how to tell the time in Turkish is a great way to improve your conversational skills. Whether you’re asking for the time, making plans, or reading schedules, these basics will help you navigate daily life more easily in Turkish.
Practice saying different times out loud and listening to native speakers for better fluency. Happy learning!
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