saat kaç?
/saˈatʲ ˈkat͡ʃ/word by word
The English phrase "what time is it?" is translated into Turkish as saat kaç?
You use this phrase to ask someone for the current time of day. If you want to be more specific and ask "What time is it now?", you can say Şu an saat kaç?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of saat, which means hour, clock or time and kaç, which means how many or how much.
How does it change in a sentence?
Turkish does not require a verb like "is" in this question. The noun and the interrogative pronoun are sufficient.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /saˈatʲ ˈkatʃ/. The /s/ sounds like the [s] in [s]end, the /k/ sounds like the [k] in [c]ore and the /tʃ/ sounds like the [ch] in [ch]ange.
When do people say it?
A common way to respond to this question is to state the hour followed by the number, such as Saat iki (It is two o'clock).
Did you know?
- The word kaç is the same word used when asking for the price of an item or a quantity of objects.
- The word saat is borrowed from Arabic, where it originally meant 'an hour' or 'a moment' before it came to describe the mechanical clock itself.
Examples in context
- Şu an saat kaç?What time is it now?
- Affedersiniz, saat kaç?Excuse me, what time is it?
- Pardon, tam saat kaç?Excuse me, what is the exact time?
Example conversation
Zeynep and Can are waiting at a bus stop.
- ZeynepCan, saat kaç?Can, what time is it?
- CanŞu an saat üç.It is three o'clock right now.
- ZeynepOtobüs çok gecikti.The bus is very late.
- CanEvet, haklısın.Yes, you are right.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (saat, kaç) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kaç, saat, CC BY-SA 4.0.
