Dutch FluencyLesson 15 of 50 · A0 to A1 · Free
Telling time and parts of the day
Dutch time is a puzzle, but the clock is literally giving you clues.
Clock faces snap through one full day. Stop translating the clock. See the movement around the hour.
13 minutes. No account needed for lesson 1. No rush.
15Today you will
- 1Read the clock with over and voor
- 2Learn the four parts of the day and their little-s forms
- 3Say how long things take
- 4Meet middernacht and own all 24 hours
The 12 words you actually use
Dutch first, said out loud. Say each word before you flip the card, then check yourself. Every card speaks.
het kwartier
ut kvar-TEER
het kwartier
the quarter (15 min)
Een kwartier is vijftien minuten. A quarter is fifteen minutes.
kwart over drie
kvart OH-vur DREE
kwart over drie
quarter past three
Kwart over drie: drie uur vijftien. Quarter past three: three fifteen.
trap word
kwart voor zeven
kvart vohr ZAY-vun
kwart voor zeven
quarter to seven
Kwart voor zeven: zes uur vijfenveertig. Quarter to seven: six forty-five.
de minuut
duh mee-NEWT
de minuut
the minute
Een minuut, alsjeblieft. One minute, please.
tien over zes
TEEN OH-vur ZES
tien over zes
ten past six
Om tien over zes ben ik thuis. At ten past six I am home.
de ochtend
duh OKH-tunt
de ochtend
the morning
De ochtend is stil. The morning is quiet.
's ochtends
SOKH-tunts
's ochtends
in the morning
's Ochtends drink ik koffie. In the morning I drink coffee.
de middag
duh MID-dakh
de middag
the afternoon
De middag is warm. The afternoon is warm.
de avond
duh AH-vont
de avond
the evening
De avond is lang. The evening is long.
's avonds
SAH-vonts
's avonds
in the evening
's Avonds kijk ik een film. In the evening I watch a film.
de nacht
duh NAKHT
de nacht
the night
De nacht is donker. The night is dark.
middernacht
MID-dur-nakht
middernacht
midnight
Om middernacht slaap ik. At midnight I sleep.
Reading the Dutch clock
Two words run the entire clock. over means past the hour, voor means toward the next one. Read each column out loud and watch the hand move in your head.
- over = past
- tien over zes = 6:10 · kwart over drie = 3:15
- voor = to
- vijf voor acht = 7:55 · kwart voor zeven = 6:45
The little 's that owns Dutch time
's ochtends, 's middags, 's avonds, 's nachts: that floating s is a leftover from old Dutch (des) and it means in the. Glue it to the front of the word as one sound: SOKH-tunts. Use it and the whole day is yours, morning to night.
One day on the clock
A whole day, told by the clock. Read it once for the shape. Read it again out loud, hour by hour.
- 01
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 02
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 03
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 04
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 05
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 06
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 07
tap the Dutch to check yourself
- 08
tap the Dutch to check yourself
Helper words in this story
- sta op get up
- het brood the bread
- duurt lasts, takes
- van ... tot from ... till
- thuis at home
- de film the film
- moe tired
- heel very
- komt comes
- alles everything
Thirty seconds. Prove it.
Three words from this lesson. Answer before you doubt yourself.
Prove it · 1 of 3
kwart voor zeven
All 20 words in this lesson
half een
half past twelve
het kwartier
the quarter
kwart over drie
quarter past three
kwart voor zeven
quarter to seven
de minuut
the minute
tien over zes
ten past six
vijf voor acht
five to eight
hoe lang?
how long?
het duurt drie uur
it takes three hours
van twee uur tot vijf
from two till five o'clock
de nacht
the night
's nachts
at night
de ochtend
the morning
's ochtends
in the morning
de middag
the afternoon
's middags
in the afternoon
de avond
the evening
's avonds
in the evening
middernacht
midnight
twaalf uur 's middags
noon
Hear all 20, then say them back
The interactive lesson plays every word, walks the story line by line, records your voice next to a native one, and remembers the ones you find hard. Lesson 1 needs no account.
- I can read any Dutch clock with over and voor
- I can say my whole day from ochtend to nacht
- I can use the little 's like a local
- I can say how long something takes with duren
- I can get up at kwart voor zeven, at least in Dutch
Fifty fifty. We build it. You show up.
