कितने बजे हैं?
kitne baje hain?
The English phrase "what time is it?" is translated into Hindi as कितने बजे हैं? (kitne baje hain?)
This phrase is a common way to ask for the current time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase कितने बजे हैं? literally translates to 'At how many o'clock are [they]?'
Which one should you use?
While कितने बजे हैं? is the standard way to ask, you may also encounter क्या समय हुआ है?, which literally means 'what time has occurred?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form कितने बजे हैं? is polite and suitable for speaking to strangers or elders. For a more formal request, you can use कृपया समय बताएं (Please tell the time) or for an informal setting, you can say समय क्या हो रहा है? (What time is it?).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase कितने बजे हैं?, the verb हैं (hain) is in the plural form because the word बजे (baje), meaning o'clock or times, is treated as a plural noun in this context.
How do you pronounce it?
kitne baje hain?
Did you know?
- The word बजे comes from the verb बजना, which means 'to ring' or 'to sound'. When asking for the time, you are essentially asking how many times the bell has rung.
- In India, you will often hear people use the English word 'time' while speaking Hindi, asking टाइम क्या हुआ है? This blends the two languages in a common practice called Hinglish.
- In highly formal or literary Hindi, you might hear the term काल (kaal) to discuss time, but you would never use it to ask for the time of day in the street.
Examples in context
- सुनिए, कितने बजे हैं?suniye, kitne baje hain?Excuse me, what time is it?
- क्या आप बता सकते हैं कितने बजे हैं?kya aap bata sakte hain kitne baje hain?Can you tell me what time it is?
Example conversation
Neha is asking Aditya for the time while waiting for a bus.
- नेहा Nehaआदित्य, अभी कितने बजे हैं?Aditya, abhi kitne baje hain?Aditya, what time is it right now?
- आदित्य Adityaअभी पाँच बजे हैं।abhi paanch baje hain.It is five o'clock now.
- नेहा Nehaओह, मेरी बस लेट है।oh, meri bus late hai.Oh, my bus is late.
- आदित्य Adityaचिंता मत करो, वह जल्द ही आएगी।chinta mat karo, vah jald hi aayegi.Don't worry, it will arrive soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries बजे, CC BY-SA 4.0.
