Latest / Learn Dutch with Fexingo / Dutch Time - Hoe Laat Is Het?
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Dutch with Fexingo! I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna! Episode 32, can you believe it? Lucas: I know, time flies. Speaking of time... that's our topic today! How to tell time in Dutch. Luna: Oh, perfect! I've been wondering how to ask 'what time is it?' in Dutch. Lucas: Great question. The phrase is 'Hoe laat is het?' Let's say it together: Hoe laat is het? Luna: Hoe laat is het? Lucas: Exactly! 'Hoe laat' means 'how late' or 'what time', and 'is het' is 'is it'. So 'Hoe laat is het?'. Luna: Hoe laat is het? That's nice and straightforward. Lucas: Now, to answer, we say 'Het is...' and then the time. For example, 'Het is twee uur.' That means 'It is two o'clock.' Say it with me: Het is twee uur. Luna: Het is twee uur. Lucas: Perfect. 'Uur' means 'hour'. So 'twee uur' is two o'clock. Let's try another: 'Het is half drie.' This means 'It is half past two' or literally 'half three'. Luna: Wait, half three? That's confusing. In English, half three is half past two? Lucas: Right, in Dutch, 'half drie' means half past two. So if it's half past two, you say 'half drie'. Luna: Okay, so half past the hour is 'half' plus the next hour. Got it. Het is half drie. Lucas: That's it! Now, for quarter past, we say 'kwart over'. So 'Het is kwart over twee' means 'It is quarter past two'. Luna: Kwart over twee. Kwart over... so 'kwart' is quarter, 'over' is past. Lucas: Exactly. And for quarter to, we say 'kwart voor'. 'Het is kwart voor drie' means 'It is quarter to three'. Luna: Kwart voor drie. So 'voor' means 'to' or 'before'. Lucas: You've got it. Let's practice these four times: twee uur, half drie, kwart over twee, kwart voor drie. Luna: Twee uur, half drie, kwart over twee, kwart voor drie. Lucas: Beautiful. Now, imagine we're at the train station. You want to know the departure time. You ask: 'Hoe laat is het?'. Luna: Hoe laat is het? Lucas: And I check my watch and say: 'Het is kwart over twee.' Your train leaves at half past two, so you have fifteen minutes. Luna: Ah, so I wait. Dank je wel, Lucas! Lucas: Graag gedaan. Let's do another scenario. You're meeting a friend for coffee. You ask: 'Hoe laat is het?'. Luna: Hoe laat is het? Lucas: I say: 'Het is half drie.' Your friend is fifteen minutes late. Luna: Oh no. But now I can tell them in Dutch! 'Het is half drie, je bent laat!' Lucas: Exactly! Now, let's review all the phrases one more time. First: Hoe laat is het? Luna: Hoe laat is het? Lucas: Het is twee uur. Luna: Het is twee uur. Lucas: Het is half drie. Luna: Het is half drie. Lucas: Het is kwart over twee. Luna: Het is kwart over twee. Lucas: And Het is kwart voor drie. Luna: Het is kwart voor drie. Lucas: Perfect! You're ready to tell time in Dutch. Luna: Dank je wel, Lucas! Time to practice. Lucas: Yes, keep practicing. And remember, with Fexingo, learning Dutch is fun and easy. See you next time! Luna: Tot ziens!