---
title: "Telling the time: half drie means 2:30"
level: A1
chapter: "Small words"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/telling-time
updated: 2026-10-09
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# Telling the time: half drie means 2:30

To tell the time in Dutch, say _Het is_ plus the time: _Het is drie uur_ means "It is three o'clock". The big surprise is _half_: it points forward to the next hour, so _half drie_ is 2:30, not 3:30. Around the half hour, Dutch counts from that half: _vijf voor half drie_ is 2:25 and _tien over half drie_ is 2:40.

## The pattern

> On the everyday clock, _half_ names the hour that is coming: _half drie_ is halfway to three. Minutes near the hour count from the hour, and minutes near the half usually count from the half.

- Ask: _Hoe laat is het?_ ("What time is it?")
- Whole hour: _Het is drie uur_ (3:00). For the other everyday times, you normally leave out _uur_.
- Quarters: _kwart over drie_ (3:15), _kwart voor drie_ (2:45).
- Near the hour: _tien over drie_ (3:10), _tien voor vier_ (3:50).
- Near the half: _tien voor half vier_ (3:20), _vijf voor half vier_ (3:25), _half vier_ (3:30), _vijf over half vier_ (3:35), _tien over half vier_ (3:40).
- Timetables and official texts: the 24-hour clock, written _14.30 uur_ and read as _veertien uur dertig_.

In daily speech, people usually round to five minutes. You will sometimes hear _twintig over drie_ for 3:20, but counting from the half is the usual way in the Netherlands. For the word _om_ before a time, see [Om, op, in: talking about time](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/time-prepositions).

## Examples

| Hoe laat is het? Het is **drie uur**. | What time is it? It is three o'clock. |
| Mijn les begint om **half drie**. | My lesson starts at half past two. |
| De bus komt om **kwart over vier**. | The bus comes at a quarter past four. |
| Daan eet om **kwart voor zeven**. | Daan eats at a quarter to seven. |
| Het is **tien over acht**. | It is ten past eight. |
| Fatima heeft om **vijf voor half elf** een afspraak bij de huisarts. | Fatima has an appointment with the GP at twenty-five past ten. |
| Joris fietst om **tien over half zes** naar huis. | Joris cycles home at twenty to six. |
| Het is **tien voor twaalf**. | It is ten to twelve. |
| De trein naar Utrecht vertrekt om **14.32 uur**. | The train to Utrecht leaves at 14:32. |

## Why it works this way

Dutch looks ahead. At 2:30 you are on your way to three o'clock, so the time is _half drie_. German says "halb drei" in the same way. English, Spanish and Arabic do the opposite: they add the half to the hour that has passed, and in British English "half three" even means 3:30.

The half hour is a second landmark. Between twenty past and twenty to, the half is closer than the full hour, so you usually count from it.

Timetables, opening hours and letters from the _gemeente_ use the 24-hour clock because it leaves no doubt. In conversation, most people still say _om half drie_, adding _'s middags_ ("in the afternoon") when needed. If the number words are still new, see [Numbers: eenentwintig, not twenty-one](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/numbers).

Remember: read _half_ as "halfway to". _Half drie_ is halfway to three, _half acht_ is halfway to eight.

## Watch out

- Not: _Ik kom om drie en een half._ Say: _Ik kom om half vier._ (for 3:30, say _half_ plus the coming hour)
- Not: _De les begint om half over zeven._ Say: _De les begint om half acht._ (_half_ goes straight before the coming hour, without _over_)
- Not: _De trein vertrekt op half drie._ Say: _De trein vertrekt om half drie._ ("at" before a clock time is _om_)
- Not: _Het is drie uren._ Say: _Het is drie uur._ (in clock times _uur_ stays singular)

## Quick check

1. It is 4:30. _Het is half ..._
2. Choose the right word for 7:45: _Het is kwart over / voor acht._
3. It is 9:25. _Het is vijf voor half ..._
4. Fix the sentence (the film starts at 6:30, keep the word _half_): _De film begint om half over zes._

## Answers

1. _vijf_ (half looks ahead to the next hour)
2. _voor_ (7:45 is a quarter before eight)
3. _tien_ (9:25 is five minutes before _half tien_)
4. _De film begint om half zeven._ (6:30 is halfway to seven)

## Use it today

Every time you check your phone today, say the time out loud in Dutch, rounded to five minutes, for example _Het is tien voor half vier_. At the station or bus stop, read one 24-hour departure time and say it the everyday way too.

## Questions learners ask

**What does half drie mean in Dutch?**

Half drie means 2:30, not 3:30. In Dutch, half points forward to the next hour, so half drie is halfway to three o'clock.

**How do you say 2:25 and 2:40 in Dutch?**

Around the half hour, Dutch usually counts from 2:30 (half drie). So 2:25 is vijf voor half drie and 2:40 is tien over half drie.

**Do Dutch people use the 24-hour clock?**

Yes, in writing: timetables, opening hours and official letters use times like 14.30 uur, read as veertien uur dertig. In conversation, most people use the everyday form, such as half drie.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.