De klok
To ask the time in Dutch say Hoe laat is het? (literally: how late is it?). The answer follows fixed patterns — whole hours, half hours, quarters, and minutes. The trickiest part is the Dutch half-hour system, which counts forward to the next hour, not backward from the current one.
Say the number followed by "uur" (hour). For 12:00 use "twaalf uur" and add "'s middags" (noon) or "'s nachts" (midnight) if needed.
Practice: How do you say "It is 5 o'clock" in Dutch?
Het is vijf uur. — "Uur" means hour/o'clock. For whole hours: Het is [number] uur. → Het is vijf uur.
Dutch "half" refers to halfway TO the next hour, not halfway past the current one. So "half twee" = 1:30 (halfway to two), not 2:30. This is the biggest difference from English.
Practice: What time is "half vier"?
3:30 — "Half vier" = halfway to four = 3:30. Remember: Dutch half always refers to the NEXT hour, not the current one.
Practice: How do you say 6:30 in Dutch?
half zeven — 6:30 is halfway to seven → half zeven. The current hour (6) is not mentioned.
"Kwart over" = quarter past · "Kwart voor" = quarter to. Both refer to the current hour (over) or the next hour (voor).
Practice: How do you say 3:15 in Dutch?
kwart over drie — "Kwart over" = quarter past. 3:15 is quarter past three → kwart over drie.
Practice: How do you say 4:45 in Dutch?
kwart voor vijf — "Kwart voor" = quarter to. 4:45 is quarter to five → kwart voor vijf.
For other minutes use "over" (past) or "voor" (to). Around the half hour, Dutch uses the half hour as the reference point instead.
Practice: What time is "tien voor half drie"?
2:20 — "Half drie" = 2:30. "Tien voor half drie" = ten minutes before 2:30 = 2:20.
| Time | Dutch | Literal | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | drie uur | Het is drie uur. It is 3 o'clock. | |
| 3:10 | tien over drie | Het is tien over drie. It is ten past three. | |
| 3:15 | kwart over drie | Het is kwart over drie. It is quarter past three. | |
| 3:25 | vijf voor half vier | 5 to half 4 | Het is vijf voor half vier. It is 3:25. |
| 3:30 | half vier | half to 4 | Het is half vier. It is half past three. |
| 3:35 | vijf over half vier | 5 past half 4 | Het is vijf over half vier. It is 3:35. |
| 3:45 | kwart voor vier | Het is kwart voor vier. It is quarter to four. | |
| 3:50 | tien voor vier | Het is tien voor vier. It is ten to four. |
Practice: How do you say 7:30 in Dutch?
half acht — 7:30 = halfway to eight = half acht. Dutch half always points to the NEXT hour.
Dutch uses set phrases with "'s" for parts of the day to clarify AM/PM.
Practice: How do you say "at 8 in the morning" in Dutch?
's ochtends om acht uur — Use 's ochtends for morning. The preposition "om" introduces a specific time: 's ochtends om acht uur.
Practice De Klok Quiz with time vocabulary
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