Time in the First Half Hour

Learn how to tell the precise time in the first half of the hour. You'll get the most out of this video if you have learned the ordinal numbers (first, second,... up to twelfth), and if you're prepared to make an interesting mental shift as you think about how to represent clock time!

[@pitangueiro4054]

Thank you so much for your excellent work! It is so valuable for Russian learners from all over the world. Please promise to never stop your Russian Grammar channel!

[@russiangrammar]

Пожалуйста! :)

[@Phryzzle]

That "moving-forward-thing" is also similar in German. 01:15 can be "viertel 2" (like "quarter 2") 01:30 can be "halb 2" (like "half 2") 01:45 can be "dreiviertel 2" (like "three quarters 2") But unfortunately many Germans don't (want to) know these versions, although these are so simple... -.-

[@sapientiayu5597]

1:45 for Ten past two we say 两点十分，分 cannot be missing. Tricky thing is that if it is eleven past two, we say 两点十一。Even if with 分 or without it are both grammatically correct. Chinese focuses on syllable symmetry (sorry I am not sure the term, all I know is Chinese is syllable-based）. 两点 has two syllables, so the following needs to be matching in rhythm ：）

[@user-sr9uw3xt3p]

Also you can't say 二点 but you have to say 两点, just to point it out explicitly :)

[@blindknitter]

This is incredibly helpful.

[@Chagov]

Amazing! you're the best on youtube teaching Russian! : D Thanks so much for this info. Good job))

[@Afdch]

Though russian accepts time format like "два пятнадцать" for 2:15 too. I am not sure which format is used more frequently even. They are used as much, I believe.

[@russiangrammar]

That's right. Forms like два пятнадцать (2:15) are so easy for English speakers that I've been concerned that they could be used as a crutch; that's why I've always been sure to teach the четверть третьего construction too - anyone who's serious about Russian should really be comfortable with both.

[@perloofficial]

Thank you very much for your videos! You are helping me a lot in learning russian language

[@robertandersson1128]

Огромное спасибо, Кёртис! I have been wondering this for so long now and you can’t imagine how happy I’m right now, now that I have gotten an explanation! I can’t wait for part two, although I think I already know how to tell the time after the first half hours. (by using the next our expressed in a cardinal number + без + the number if minutes to the next hour, in the genietive case: сейчас восемь без семнадцати минут). Thank you! Спасибо большое вам!

[@russiangrammar]

You're almost there - 7:43 = без семнадцати восемь, with the hour coming last (word order is usually flexible in Russian, but not here). The next video will cover time in the 2nd half hour.

[@OmarMahmoudov]

Thank you so much! Can't wait till I watch the second half hour.))

[@rosumella]

Thanks! I was really struggling to understand this!

[@harry_page]

So we've got to add one to the hour in English to turn it into the hour in Russian (but English 12 turns into Russian 1)

[@russiangrammar]

Yes, and be sure you're using ordinals (первый, второй,...) - so 12:15 = четверть первого, 1:20 = двадцать минут второго, etc.

[@jeffm9227]

I've heard this approach isn't very common any more. More common to say it's "8:17" or "4:10". Is that true? Any correlation with the age of the speaker?

[@russiangrammar]

You can hear both; I don't have statistics on which is more common, or a breakdown by age. For what it's worth, a new textbook in the US (Этажи) gives only the десять минут пятого construction; this website (learnrussian.by/kotoryj-chas-ili-kak-govorit-o-vremeni-na-russkom-2/) gives both.

[@uuco.6037]

Сейчас пять минут первого часа. 12:05 Сейчас семь двадцать минут четвёртого часа. 15:27 Сейчас пол-третьего. 14:30

[@russiangrammar]

двадцать семь минут полтретьего (пишется слитно) 🙂

[@kavitashekhar4399]

If it is 12 10 of night ...how will we write

[@russiangrammar]

00:10 - десять минут первого ночи. ))

[@kavitashekhar4399]

@@russiangrammar спасибо ♥️♥️