Introduction to Telling Time in Hungarian

I'm excited to kick off today's tutorial on how to tell time in Hungarian. It's always fascinating to learn how different languages express time, and Hungarian is no exception. In this guide, I will break down the basics of telling time in Hungarian and teach you some useful phrases and expressions.

Firstly, I'm going to plunge into the hours and minutes in Hungarian. Hungarians use a 24-hour clock, so you'll need to familiarize yourself with this system. For example, 1:00 PM is expressed as 13:00, while 5:30 PM is expressed as 17:30. It may seem a bit confusing at first, but with practice, you'll get the hang of it.

Moving on, let's talk about how to express specific times in Hungarian. If it's a full hour, you simply state the hour followed by 'óra'. For example, '2 óra' means 2 o'clock. If it's a specific minute, you use the word 'perc' followed by the number of minutes. For example, 'Fél hat' means half past five, 'fél' being the Hungarian word for 'half'.

Now that you have a grasp of the basics, let's dive deeper into telling time in Hungarian. We'll explore more complex expressions, such as quarter past and quarter to, as well as talking about time in relation to the current hour. Stay tuned!

Example of expressing time in Hungarian

Illustration of a clock showing different times

Expressing Time in Relation to the Current Hour

In this section, we will learn how to express time in relation to the current hour. Hungarians have a unique way of doing this, which can be quite useful in everyday conversations. For example, if someone asks you what time it is and it's 10:40, you can say '20 minutes to 11' instead of stating the exact time.

To express time in relation to the current hour, you start with the word 'él'. 'Él' means 'alive' or 'living', and in this context, it signifies the current hour. Then, you add the number of minutes. For example, 'él tíz' means 'ten minutes past', while 'él húsz' means 'twenty minutes to'. You can also combine these expressions. For example, 'él tíz húsz' means 'twenty minutes past ten'.

This way of expressing time adds a unique flair to the Hungarian language and can make your conversations more engaging and interesting. It's also a great way to practice your language skills and impress the locals. Give it a try!

Example of expressing time in relation to the current hour

Illustration showing the concept of time in relation to the current hour