która jest godzina?
To ask "what time is it?" in Polish, use która jest godzina?
The phrase is used to ask for the current time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "which is the hour?", where która means "which" and godzina means "hour".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word która is the feminine form of "which", which is used to match the feminine noun godzina (hour). In casual conversation, the phrase is often shortened to Która godzina?
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Ile jest godzina? While English speakers might try to use ile (how much/many), in Polish you must use która (which) to ask for the time.
Did you know?
- While the word godzina refers to time, its root god is also found in gody, which refers to ancient Slavic winter solstice feasts.
- When answering która jest godzina?, Poles frequently use the phrase za pięć to mean 'in five minutes', effectively rounding up to the next hour.
- Polish has a specific way of saying 'half past' using the word wpół, which implies the clock is 'halfway' to the next hour rather than 'half past' the current one.
Examples in context
- Przepraszam, która jest godzina?Excuse me, what time is it?
- Wiesz może, która jest godzina?Do you perhaps know what time it is?
Example conversation
Agnieszka asks Piotr for the time in a cafe.
- AgnieszkaPiotrze, czy wiesz, która jest godzina?Piotr, do you know what time it is?
- PiotrTak, jest właśnie wpół do trzeciej.Yes, it is exactly half past two.
- AgnieszkaOjej, to już bardzo późno!Oh, that is already very late!
- PiotrMusisz się spieszyć.You must hurry.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries godzina, jest, CC BY-SA 4.0.
