Telling time מָה הַשָּׁעָה
The everyday question is מָה הַשָּׁעָה, and the answer uses feminine numbers because שָׁעָה is feminine. Israeli speech mixes analog phrases such as שָׁלוֹשׁ וָחֵצִי with digital-style readings of the minutes.
Name the hour with a feminine number; add minutes with וְ, and use רֶבַע לְ for “quarter to.”
מָה הַשָּׁעָה is the neutral question; יֵשׁ לְךָ שָׁעָה is a common spoken variant. Answers may be הַשָּׁעָה שָׁלוֹשׁ or just שָׁלוֹשׁ. Use אַחַת, שְׁתַּיִם, שָׁלוֹשׁ, אַרְבַּע, חָמֵשׁ, שֵׁשׁ, שֶׁבַע, שְׁמוֹנֶה, תֵּשַׁע, עֶשֶׂר, אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה, שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה, not the masculine set.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| מָה הַשָּׁעָה? | mah hasha'ah? | What time is it? | |
| הַשָּׁעָה שָׁלוֹשׁ | hasha'ah shalosh | It is three o’clock | |
| זֶה בְּשֵׁשׁ בַּבֹּקֶר | ze beshesh baboker | That is at six in the morning |
| Clock | Hebrew | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | שָׁלוֹשׁ | shalosh |
| 3:10 | שָׁלוֹשׁ וְעֶשֶׂר | shalosh ve'eser |
| 3:15 | שָׁלוֹשׁ וְרֶבַע | shalosh vereva |
| 3:30 | שָׁלוֹשׁ וָחֵצִי | shalosh vakhetzi |
| 3:45 | רֶבַע לְאַרְבַּע | reva le'arba |
Minutes past the hour take וְ: שָׁלוֹשׁ וְעֶשֶׂר, שָׁלוֹשׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים. A quarter is רֶבַע; a half is חֵצִי. Coming up on the next hour, רֶבַע לְ and עֶשֶׂר לְ are still in use: רֶבַע לְאַרְבַּע. Digital speech simply names the hour and the minutes: שָׁלוֹשׁ וְאַרְבָּעִים וְחָמֵשׁ.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַפְּגִישָׁה בִּשְׁתַּיִם וָחֵצִי | hapgishah bishtayim vakhetzi | The meeting is at half past two | |
| נִפְגָּשׁ בְּרֶבַע לְחָמֵשׁ | nifgash bereva lekhamesh | Let us meet at a quarter to five |
בַּבֹּקֶר, בַּצָּהֳרַיִם, אַחֲרֵי הַצָּהֳרַיִם, בָּעֶרֶב, and בַּלַּיְלָה sit after the time or alone. “At” a clock time is בְּ plus the number: בְּשָׁלוֹשׁ, בִּשְׁתַּיִם. חֲצוֹת is midnight; צָהֳרַיִם covers noon and the midday stretch. Formal notices may use a twenty-four-hour clock; everyday talk stays in twelve hours plus a part-of-day word.
| Hebrew | Transliteration | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| בְּעֶשֶׂר בָּעֶרֶב | be'eser ba'erev | at ten in the evening | |
| חֲצוֹת הַלַּיְלָה | khatzot halailah | midnight |
Exceptions
Shtayim, not shnei, for two o’clock
The hour two is שְׁתַּיִם or הַשָּׁעָה שְׁתַּיִם. Do not use שְׁנֵי or שְׁנַיִם for the clock. With בְּ the spelling is בִּשְׁתַּיִם.
Half attaches to the current hour
שָׁלוֹשׁ וָחֵצִי is 3:30, not “half to three.” Hebrew does not copy the English “half three” reading. Keep חֵצִי with the hour that has already begun.
Common mistakes
הַשָּׁעָה שְׁלוֹשָׁה → הַשָּׁעָה שָׁלוֹשׁ
שָׁעָה is feminine, so the hour uses feminine numbers.
שְׁנֵי בַּבֹּקֶר → שְׁתַּיִם בַּבֹּקֶר
Two o’clock is שְׁתַּיִם, not the masculine cardinal.
חֵצִי שָׁלוֹשׁ → שָׁלוֹשׁ וָחֵצִי
Half past is hour plus וָחֵצִי, not half before the number.
Go on to
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