tyd
/tœi̯t/
Time in Afrikaans is tyd.
The word tyd is used for both the abstract concept of time and for specific instances of time (e.g., 'a time to eat'). Related words for measuring durations or periods include uur (hour), sekonde (seconds), dag (day), week (week), maand (month) and jaar (year). You can also use terms for parts of the day like oggend (morning), middag (afternoon), aand (evening) and nag (night).
Meaning: measurement of a quantity of time (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of tyd is tye, which means 'times'.
How do you pronounce it?
/tœi̯t/
When do people say it?
To ask someone what time it is, you say Hoe laat is dit? When telling the time informally, you can say Dis een uur. for 'It's one o'clock.', Dis kwart oor een. for 'It's a quarter past one.' or Dis kwart voor twee. for 'It's a quarter to two.'. Note that the word half is used to denote half past the hour, but it is placed before the next hour. To communicate minutes remaining before the hour, use the word voor.
Did you know?
- The Afrikaans word tyd is a direct descendant of the Proto-Germanic word *tīdiz, which also evolved into the English word 'tide'.
- In Afrikaans, the phrase Hoe laat is dit? literally translates to 'How late is it?', rather than 'What time is it?'
- Afrikaans uses uur for both 'hour' and 'o'clock', meaning the word's meaning changes based on whether it follows a number or a duration.
Examples in context
- Ek het nou nie veel tyd nie.I don't have much time now.This sentence shows how to express having a limited amount of tyd.Tatoeba #718840 by siener, translation #241793 by CK
- Ons is in dieselfde tyd zone.We're in the same time zone.This sentence uses tyd within the context of a time zone.Tatoeba #13370614 by Pietpetoors, translation #6477778 by nickyeow
- Ek het geen tyd vir julle nie.I don't have time for you.This sentence expresses having no tyd for someone.Tatoeba #755719 by siener, translation #713809 by fanty
- Dis drie en tien.It's three and ten.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nicola and Johan are talking about their busy schedules.
- NicolaJohan, het jy vandag nog tyd?Johan, do you still have time today?
- JohanNee, ek het glad nie tyd nie.No, I have no time at all.
- NicolaIs jy te besig vir 'n vinnige kuier?Are you too busy for a quick visit?
- JohanMiskien later, wanneer ek tyd het.Maybe later, when I have time.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tyd, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tyd, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
