Learn how to ask what time it is
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| In today’s lesson, we will introduce some phrases you will need to ask for the time. Time flies when you are on vacation. So, make sure you keep track. First, let’s go over the basic phrase what time is it. That would be 몇 시예요 (myeot siyeyo)? One more time, it’s 몇 시예요 (myeot siyeyo)? The first part of this phrase is 몇 (myeot). This means how many or how much. 몇 (myeot). What follows after that is 시 (si). This means hour. So together with how much or how many, it’s 몇 시 (myeot). How many hours, 몇 시 (myeot si). And the last part is 예요 (yeyo). This means is. One more time, 예요 (yeyo). Altogether it’s 몇 시예요 (myeot siyeyo)? Literally how many hour is. This is translated as, what time is it. |
| Now, what good is asking the question if you don’t know how to recognize the answer. Now, in Korean, there are two sets of numbers. One is the native Korean numbers and the other is the Sino-Korean numbers. Both of these number systems are used to tell time. The native Korean numbers are used to express the hour. The Sino-Korean numbers are used to express the minutes. Let’s start with saying the hour. This is using the native Korean number system. So let’s start with 1 o'clock to 12 o’clock. 1 o’clock is 한 시 (han si). 한 (han) is 1. Actually, 하나 (hana) is 1 but it changes to 한 (han) when something is attached to the end of it and what’s attached is 시 (si). This means hour. So this is one hour and this is translated as 1 o'clock, 한 시 (han si). 2 o'clock 두 시 (du si), 3 o'clock 세 시 (se si), 4 o'clock 네 시 (ne si), 5 o'clock 다섯 시 (daseot si), 6 o'clock 여섯 시 (yeoseot si), 7 o'clock 일곱 시 (ilgop si), 8 o'clock 여덟 시 (yeodeol si), 9 o'clock 아홉 시 (ahop si), 10 o'clock 열 시 (yeol si), 11 o'clock 열한 시 (yeolhan si), 12 o'clock 열두 시 (yeoldu si). |
| Now for the minutes. Minutes use the Sino-Korean numbers. After these numbers, we would add the word for minute which in Korean is 분 (bun). So let’s go over a few. 30 using the Sino-Korean numbers is 삼십 (samsip) and 30 minutes is 삼십 분 (samsip bun). 10 minutes is 십 분 (sip bun), 15 minutes is 십오 분 (sibo bun), 45 minutes is 사십오 분 (sasibo bun). So for 2:30 we can say 두 시 삼십 분 (du si samsip bun). 두 (du) is the number two in the native Korean number system. 시 (si) is hour and 삼십 (samsip) is 30 in the Sino-Korean number system and 분 (bun) is minutes. 2:30 slowly, 두 시 삼십 분 (du si samsip bun). Another example is 6:45. This is 여섯 시 사십오 분 (yeoseot si sasibo bun). This is literally 6 hour 45 minutes, 6 hour 45 minutes, 6:45. One more time, it’s 여섯 시 사십오 분 (yeoseot si sasibo bun). Now, you guys are probably going to have to go back and review these numbers. There are so many combinations. We can’t get it done in this short podcast. So, please go back and review. |
| Okay. To close our today’s lesson, we’d like for you to practice what you’ve learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out loud. You will have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So 화이팅 (hwaiting)! |
| What time is it - 몇 시예요 (myeot siyeyo)? |
| 1 o'clock - 한 시 (han si) |
| 10 o'clock - 열 시 (yeol si) |
| 30 minutes - 삼십 분 (samsip bun) |
| 45 minutes - 사십오 분 (sasibo bun) |
| 2:30 - 두 시 삼십 분 (du si samsip bun) |
| All right, that’s going to do it for today. |
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