Cât e ceasul?
The English phrase "what time is it?" is translated into Romanian as Cât e ceasul?
This phrase is used to ask for the current time of day. If you want to ask at what specific time an event occurs, use La ce oră este? instead.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, Cât e ceasul? means "How much is the clock?", where cât means "how much" and ceasul means "the clock".
Which one should you use?
Cât e ceasul? is a standard way to ask for the time, whereas Ce ceas e? is a common, shorter alternative. To ask about the timing of a specific event rather than the current time, use La ce oră este?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase Ce ceas e? serves as a common, shorter alternative to the standard Cât e ceasul?
When do people say it?
To make your question more formal and polite, you can add vă rog to the end of the sentence.
Did you know?
- The word cât in Cât e ceasul? is a descendant of the Latin word 'quantus', which is the same root used in the English word 'quantity'.
- If you use the short form Ce ceas e?, you are grammatically asking 'What clock is it?'
- In Romanian, the word ceas refers to both the physical clock and the concept of 'hour'.
Examples in context
- Îmi puteți spune ce oră este, vă rog?Can you tell me what time it is, please?
- Ați putea să-mi spuneți cât este ceasul, vă rog?Could you please tell me the time?
- Îmi poți spune cât e ora?Can you tell me the time?
- Cât e ceasul?What time is it?
- Scuze, cât e ceasul?Excuse me, what time is it?
- Știți cât e ceasul?Do you know what time it is?
- Îmi poți spune cât e ceasul?Can you tell me what time it is?
Example conversation
Andreea asks Alexandru for the time while they are waiting for a bus.
- AndreeaAlexandru, cât e ceasul?Alexandru, what time is it?
- AlexandruE ora cinci.It is five o'clock.
- AndreeaMulțumesc mult!Thank you very much!
- AlexandruCu plăcere.You're welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cât, e, CC BY-SA 4.0.
