Latest / Learn Amharic with Fexingo / Amharic Time: Quarter To the Hour
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another Amharic session? Luna: Yeah, I'm excited. Last time we did quarter past the hour, right? That was tricky but fun. Lucas: Exactly. Today we're doing the opposite — quarter to the hour. So if it's 3:45, in English we say 'quarter to four.' In Amharic, we say... let me think... ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Luna: Wait, say that again slowly? Lucas: Sure. ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. It means 'it is quarter to the hour.' Let's break it down: ሩብ is 'quarter,' ያለፈው means 'passed' or 'to,' and ሰዓት is 'hour' or 'time.' So literally 'quarter to the hour.' Luna: ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Hmm. That's a mouthful. So if I want to say 'quarter to four,' I need to put the number in there? Lucas: Yes. For 'quarter to four,' you say አራት ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. አራት is four. Luna: አራት ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. That feels like 'four quarter to the hour' — but it means quarter to four? I think I need to hear that a few times. Lucas: That's normal. Let's practice with a different number. What about 'quarter to ten'? አስር ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Luna: አስር ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Okay, I think I see the pattern. The number comes first, then ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Lucas: You got it. Now, if someone asks you ሰዓቱ ስንት ነው? — that's 'what time is it?' — you can answer with this structure. Luna: ሰዓቱ ስንት ነው? I remember that from a few episodes back. So if I want to say 'it's quarter to four,' I say... ሰዓቱ አራት ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው? Lucas: Almost. You can say ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው አራት ነው. That's more natural — 'the time is quarter to four.' Or just አራት ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው. Both work. Luna: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው አራት ነው. That's shorter. I like that. Let me try: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው አስር ነው — quarter to ten. Lucas: Perfect! You've got it. Now let's put it in a mini dialogue. Imagine you're at a café and your friend asks the time. You look at your watch and it's 2:45. Luna: So they ask ሰዓቱ ስንት ነው? And I say ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ሁለት ነው? Lucas: Exactly. ሁለት is two. So 'quarter to three'? Wait, careful — 2:45 is quarter to three, not quarter to two. Remember, it's the next hour. Quarter to three is ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ሦስት ነው. Luna: Oh right! Quarter to the next hour. So 2:45 is quarter to three. ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ሦስት ነው. That's important. Lucas: Yes. Let's practice both. I'll ask ሰዓቱ ስንት ነው? and you answer with quarter to three. Luna: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ሦስት ነው. Lucas: Great. Now quarter to six. Luna: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ስድስት ነው. Lucas: You're a natural. Let's do one more: quarter to twelve. Luna: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው አስራ ሁለት ነው. Wait, is that right? አስራ ሁለት is twelve. Lucas: Perfect. አስራ ሁለት is exactly right. So now you know how to say quarter to any hour. Luna: This is really coming together. And I love that Fexingo makes these little chunks so easy to remember. I mean, if it helps people like me keep going, that's what matters. Lucas: Absolutely. You know, if listeners find these episodes useful, there's a simple way to support the show and help it stay ad-free. Just visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small gesture that means a lot. Luna: Yeah, every bit helps keep these conversations going. And honestly, it's pretty cool to be part of a community that learns together. Lucas: Totally. Now, back to time. Let's try a challenge: I'll say a time in English, you say it in Amharic. 4:45. Luna: Quarter to five. So ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው አምስት ነው. Lucas: Yes! And 7:45? Luna: ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ስምንት ነው. Lucas: You're really getting it. Let's do a quick review. The key phrase is ሩብ ያለፈው ሰዓት ነው, but when telling time, we say ሰዓቱ ሩብ ያለፈው ነው. Luna: Right. And to ask the time, it's ሰዓቱ ስንት ነው? Lucas: Exactly. Keep practicing, and next time we might combine quarter past and quarter to. But for now, you've got a solid start. Luna: Thanks Lucas. See you next time for more Amharic! Lucas: Yeah, practice these phrases till we chat again. Bye!