Telling time

See the time

Match each face to the Slovak phrase. Quarters and halves name the hour ahead.

• Je jedna hodina. It is one o’clock.
• Sú tri hodiny. It is three o’clock.
• Je päť hodín. It is five o’clock.
• Je štvrť na tri. It is quarter past two. Looking ahead to three.
• Je pol tretej. It is half past two. Halfway to three.
• Je trištvrte na tri. It is quarter to three. Three-quarters toward three.
• Je dvanásť hodín. / Je poludnie. It is twelve o’clock. / It is midday.
• Je polnoc. It is midnight. 00:00 — same clock face as twelve, different word.

Key labels

pol

Pol names the coming hour in the genitive: pol tretej is halfway to three (02:30). Always Je pol…, never Sú pol…

štvrť na

Štvrť na + the next hour means quarter past the previous hour: štvrť na tri is 02:15. After twelve, prefer štvrť na jednu.

trištvrte na

Trištvrte na + the next hour means three-quarters toward that hour: trištvrte na tri is 02:45.

Hour agreement and looking ahead

Green edge marks times that name the hour ahead.

Examples

1. Koľko je hodín? What time is it?
2. Sú tri hodiny. It is three o’clock.
3. Je pol tretej. It is half past two. Practice this
4. Stretneme sa o tretej. We will meet at three. Practice this
5. Je trištvrte na tri. It is quarter to three. Practice this