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0 pointsfunction_seven2y ago0 comments

Even worse, I don’t know what “it’s a quarter of three” means. I’ve looked it up, but for some reason I forget it by the time it’s quarter of four!

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wisemang2y ago

Took me ages to remember what folks in the UK mean when they say “half six” — it’s 6:30, not “half to six” — even just now I had to double check myself.

Symbiote2y ago

This is varies by language. In several languages including English, "half six" is an abbreviation of "half [[an hour] past] six". In others, it's "half [[an hour] to] six".

Zach_the_Lizard2y ago

To this American, "half six" sounds like a roundabout way to describe the number three and not a way to says it's 6:30 (or 5:30 for that matter).

I've never heard anyone say that

jamiek882y ago

Typically we say half past six though which is a bit clearer. That can sometimes get a little blurred with accents particularly some northern ones haf ‘pa six.

euroderf2y ago

I confuse Finns by saying (at 2330 / 1130pm) that it's "half zero" (puoli nolla). Apparently the consensus concept does not include negative times.

stevage2y ago

Ha, like in french for some reason you can say "and a half" for hours up to 12 but not beyond. Onze heures et demi. Treize heures trente.

19862y ago

Yeah I find this one exhausting too because meanwhile in German "half six" is exactly that, "halfway to six"

jfk132y ago

But "halfway to six" should be three, surely? (Sorry!)

As a British person who learned Swedish -- which also uses that convention -- around the age of 10, I often found myself a little uncertain when hearing "half six" in English, as I grew up with the more explicit "half past six".

em-bee2y ago

in austria you can learn about "viertel sechs" (quarter six) and "dreiviertel sechs" (three quarter six).

i'll let you work out whether those are "viertel nach fünf" (quarter past five) or "viertel vor sechs" (quarter to six), or "viertel nach sechs" (quarter past six), or "viertel vor sieben" (quarter two seven)

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