A clock has a short hand and a long hand. The short hand shows the hour. The long hand shows the minutes. On a phone or a train ticket you usually see the time in numbers: 14.30.
The four fixed points
| Time | In Dutch |
|---|---|
| 3.00 | drie uur |
| 3.15 | kwart over drie |
| 3.30 | half vier |
| 3.45 | kwart voor vier |
The minutes in between
For the minutes you use over (past) and voor (to). Up to a quarter past you count from the whole hour. Around the half hour you count from half. After a quarter to you count towards the next whole hour.
| Time | In Dutch |
|---|---|
| 3.05 | vijf over drie |
| 3.10 | tien over drie |
| 3.20 | tien voor half vier |
| 3.25 | vijf voor half vier |
| 3.35 | vijf over half vier |
| 3.40 | tien over half vier |
| 3.50 | tien voor vier |
| 3.55 | vijf voor vier |
Time in numbers: the 24-hour clock
On a ticket, a timetable or a screen the time often uses 24 hours. After twelve you keep counting: 13.00 is one in the afternoon. When you say it, you usually use the clock: for 14.30 you say half drie.
- De trein vertrekt om 14.30 uur.Say: om half drie (at 2.30).
- De huisarts is open van 8.00 tot 17.00 uur.Say: van acht uur tot vijf uur (from 8 to 5).
- De les begint om 19.45 uur.Say: om kwart voor acht (at 7.45).
's Ochtends, 's middags, 's avonds
When you tell the time with the clock, you can add the part of the day. That helps when it is not clear.
- 's ochtends or 's morgens: in the morning, roughly 6 to 12.
- 's middags: in the afternoon, roughly 12 to 6.
- 's avonds: in the evening, roughly 6 to midnight.
- 's nachts: at night, roughly midnight to 6.