Gaining the ability to express time in a foreign language is an essential skill for effective communication. In Romanian, accurately conveying the time can help you make plans, catch a train, or simply engage in everyday conversations. Whether you need to ask for the time or tell it, this guide will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of how to express time in Romanian. We’ll cover both the formal and informal ways, along with some valuable tips, examples, and even regional variations if necessary. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
Asking for the Time
If you find yourself in Romania and need to inquire about the time, you can use the following phrases:
Formal:
1. Scuzați-mă, vă rog, cât este ceasul? – Excuse me, please, what time is it?
2. Ați putea să-mi spuneți cât este ceasul? – Could you tell me the time, please?
3. Vă rog să-mi spuneți ora. – Please tell me the time.
Informal:
1. Scuză-mă, cât e ceasul? – Excuse me, what time is it?
2. Pot să-ți întreb cât e ceasul? – Can I ask you the time?
3. Dai, te rog, ora. – Give me the time, please.
Note: In informal situations, Romanians often use “dai” (give) instead of “spune” (tell) when asking someone for the time.
Telling the Time
When it comes to telling the time in Romanian, there are a few key aspects to keep in mind:
General Guidelines:
- Use the 24-hour clock format (official time), although you may also hear people using the 12-hour format, especially in casual conversations.
- The word “ora” (hour) is used to indicate the time.
- Minutes are mentioned after the hour.
Formal:
Sunt ora X și Y minute.
It is X hour and Y minutes.
For example:
Sunt ora două și zece minute. – It is two o’clock and ten minutes.
Sunt ora cinci și cinci minute. – It is five o’clock and five minutes.
Sunt ora doisprezece și treizeci de minute. – It is twelve-thirty.
Informal:
E ora X și Y minute.
It is X hour and Y minutes.
For example:
E ora doispezece și zece minute. – It is ten past twelve.
E ora șapte și trei sferturi. – It is quarter past seven.
E ora opt și patruzeci și cinci de minute. – It is eight forty-five.
Additional Tips and examples:
1. Using “jumătate” for half past:
In Romanian, instead of saying “thirty” for half past, you use the word “jumătate” (half) after mentioning the hour.
Examples:
Sunt ora doi și jumătate. – It is half past two.
E ora nouă și jumătate. – It is half past nine.
2. Using “fix” for precise times:
Romanians commonly use the word “fix” to denote a precise time. This is particularly helpful when catching appointments or events with specific start times.
Examples:
Sunt ora șase fix. – It is exactly six o’clock.
E ora unu și douăzeci fix. – It is exactly one twenty.
3. Regional Variations:
Romania is a country with diverse regional dialects. While the guidelines mentioned above are widely understood and used, there may be slight variations in different areas of the country.
Transylvania:
In some Transylvanian regions, instead of “jumătate,” locals might use “jumate” or “pola” for half past.
Moldavia:
In Moldavia, it is common to use a combination of both “și” and “cu” (and) to express the exact time.
Wallachia:
In Wallachia, locals may use the term “șe pun” instead of “fix,” but this is less common nowadays.
Remember that these regional variations are not standard across the entire country, but it’s good to be aware of them if you encounter them during your travels.
Now that you have a solid understanding of how to ask for and tell the time in Romanian, you’ll be able to confidently engage in conversations, make plans, and keep track of your schedule. Practice these phrases and expressions to ensure you become more comfortable and proficient in using them. Enjoy your language learning journey!
