Telling time in Hindi is a unique skill — it uses a special system with सवा [savā] (quarter past), साढ़े [sāṛhe] (half past), and पौने [paune] (quarter to) that's different from English. In this lesson, Ravi navigates his workday at a Gurgaon IT office, coordinating meetings and schedules. You'll also learn the four parts of the day. Master this lesson and you'll never miss a meeting — or at least you'll be able to apologize for being late in perfect Hindi!
Learning tips
- Hindi time has three special words: सवा [savā] (+15 min), साढ़े [sāṛhe] (+30 min), पौने [paune] (-15 min). These go BEFORE the hour number.
- 1:30 and 2:30 have unique words: डेढ़ [ḍeṛh] (1.5) and ढाई [ḍhāī] (2.5). From 3:30 onward, use साढ़े [sāṛhe] + number.
- The four parts of the day are: सुबह [subah] (morning), दोपहर [dopahar] (afternoon), शाम [śām] (evening), रात [rāt] (night). Add these before the time for clarity.
- Remember: बजे [baje] literally means 'struck' — think of a grandfather clock striking the hour!
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| उठना [uṭhnā] | to get up | |
| नहाना [nahānā] | to bathe | |
| तैयार [taiyār] | ready | |
| नाश्ता [nāśtā] | breakfast | |
| चाय [cāy] | tea | |
| दूध [dūdh] | milk | |
| रोटी [roṭī] | roti/flatbread | |
| जल्दी [jaldī] | quickly/early | |
| सुबह [subah] | morning | |
| बजे [baje] | o'clock |
Dialog
Ravi is at his IT office in Gurgaon (now officially Gurugram), one of India's biggest tech hubs just south of Delhi. He's coordinating meeting times with colleagues. Notice how he uses सवा [savā] (quarter past), साढ़े [sāṛhe] (half past), and पौने [paune] (quarter to) before the hour. Also notice the four time-of-day markers: सुबह [subah], दोपहर [dopahar], शाम [śām], रात [rāt]. In the IT industry, long work hours are common — Ravi sometimes works till 9-10 PM!
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| समय | samay | /sə.məj/ | time | Used both for 'time' in general and 'the time' on a clock |
| घंटा | ghaṇṭā | /ɡʱən.ʈaː/ | hour | एक घंटा [ek ghaṇṭā] = one hour. Also refers to a bell or gong. |
| मिनट | minaṭ | /mi.nəʈ/ | minute | English loanword adapted into Hindi pronunciation |
| आधा | ādhā | /aːd̪ʰaː/ | half | आधा घंटा [ādhā ghaṇṭā] = half an hour. Changes to आधी [ādhī] for feminine nouns. |
| पौने | paune | /pɔː.ne/ | quarter to (the hour) | पौने [paune] goes BEFORE the NEXT hour: पौने तीन [paune tīn] = 2:45 (quarter to three) |
| सवा | savā | /sə.vaː/ | quarter past (the hour) | सवा [savā] goes BEFORE the hour: सवा तीन [savā tīn] = 3:15 (quarter past three) |
| साढ़े | sāṛhe | /saːɽʰe/ | half past (the hour) | साढ़े [sāṛhe] goes BEFORE the hour: साढ़े तीन [sāṛhe tīn] = 3:30. Exception: 1:30 = डेढ़ [ḍeṛh], 2:30 = ढाई [ḍhāī] |
| दोपहर | dopahar | /d̪o.pə.hər/ | afternoon, noon | Roughly 12 PM to 4 PM. दोपहर का खाना [dopahar kā khānā] = lunch |
| शाम | śām | /ʃaːm/ | evening | Roughly 4 PM to 8 PM. शाम को [śām ko] = in the evening |
| रात | rāt | /raːt̪/ | night | Roughly 8 PM onward. रात को [rāt ko] = at night |
Passive words
| Word | Romanization | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| देर | der | /d̪eːr/ | delay, lateness | देर हो गई [der ho gaī] = I'm/it's late (very commonly used!) |
| अभी | abhī | /əb.ʰiː/ | right now, just now | अभी आता हूँ [abhī ātā hū̃] = I'm coming right now (but often means 'in a bit'!) |
| बाद | bād | /baːd̪/ | after, later | Used as a postposition: खाने के बाद [khāne ke bād] = after eating |
| पहले | pahle | /pəh.le/ | before, earlier | Used as a postposition: खाने से पहले [khāne se pahle] = before eating |
| बस | bas | /bəs/ | just, enough, only | Multi-purpose word: बस! [bas!] = Enough!/That's it! |
| लगभग | lagbhag | /ləɡ.bʰəɡ/ | approximately, about | लगभग दो बजे [lagbhag do baje] = around 2 o'clock |
Useful chunks
| Word | Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कितने बजे हैं? | kitne baje haĩ? | What time is it? |
| साढ़े नौ बजे | sāṛhe nau baje | half past nine (9:30) |
| पौने छह बजे | paune chah baje | quarter to six (5:45) |
Grammar: Hindi time system — सवा [savā], साढ़े [sāṛhe], पौने [paune]
| Time | Hindi | Romanization | Literal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | एक बजा [ek bajā] | ek bajā | one struck |
| 2:00 | दो बजे [do baje] | do baje | two struck |
| 1:15 | सवा एक बजा [savā ek bajā] | savā ek bajā | quarter-plus one struck |
| 2:15 | सवा दो बजे [savā do baje] | savā do baje | quarter-plus two struck |
| 1:30 | डेढ़ बजा [ḍeṛh bajā] | ḍeṛh bajā | one-and-half struck |
| 2:30 | ढाई बजे [ḍhāī baje] | ḍhāī baje | two-and-half struck |
| 3:30 | साढ़े तीन बजे [sāṛhe tīn baje] | sāṛhe tīn baje | half-plus three struck |
| 1:45 | पौने दो बजे [paune do baje] | paune do baje | quarter-to two struck |
| 3:45 | पौने चार बजे [paune cār baje] | paune cār baje | quarter-to four struck |
| Time of day | Hindi | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | सुबह [subah] | subah |
| Afternoon | दोपहर [dopahar] | dopahar |
| Evening | शाम [śām] | śām |
| Night | रात [rāt] | rāt |
Hindi has an elegant but unique time-telling system. Instead of saying 'three fifteen' or 'three thirty,' Hindi uses special prefix words:
सवा [savā] = quarter past (+15 min)
- सवा तीन बजे [savā tīn baje] = 3:15
- Goes BEFORE the current hour
साढ़े [sāṛhe] = half past (+30 min)
- साढ़े तीन बजे [sāṛhe tīn baje] = 3:30
- Goes BEFORE the current hour
- Exceptions: 1:30 = डेढ़ बजा [ḍeṛh bajā] (NOT साढ़े एक), 2:30 = ढाई बजे [ḍhāī baje] (NOT साढ़े दो)
पौने [paune] = quarter to (-15 min)
- पौने तीन बजे [paune tīn baje] = 2:45 (quarter to THREE)
- Goes BEFORE the NEXT hour (the hour you're approaching)
Time of day: Add सुबह [subah] / दोपहर [dopahar] / शाम [śām] / रात [rāt] before the time for AM/PM context:
- सुबह सवा आठ बजे [subah savā āṭh baje] = 8:15 AM
- रात साढ़े दस बजे [rāt sāṛhe das baje] = 10:30 PM
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct Hindi time or vocabulary word.
- अभी नौ बजे हैं। (quarter past)(quarter past — prefix word)
- मीटिंग तीन बजे है। (half past)(half past — prefix word)
- में बहुत गर्मी होती है। (afternoon)(time of day: noon to 4 PM)
- एक में साठ मिनट होते हैं। (hour)(unit of time: 60 minutes)
- को तारे दिखते हैं। (at night)(time of day: after 8 PM)
Grammar Application
Convert the given times into Hindi using the सवा/साढ़े/पौने system.
- 3:15 को हिंदी में कैसे कहेंगे? → (quarter past three)
- 5:30 को हिंदी में कैसे कहेंगे? → (half past five)
- 7:45 को हिंदी में कैसे कहेंगे? → (quarter to eight)
- 1:30 को हिंदी में कैसे कहेंगे? → (special word for 1:30)
- 2:30 को हिंदी में कैसे कहेंगे? → (special word for 2:30)
Translation (English → Hindi)
Translate each sentence into Hindi.
- What time is it?
- It's half past four.
- The meeting is in the afternoon.
- Let's meet at quarter to seven in the evening.
- It will take another half hour.
Creative Construction
Write 1-2 sentences describing a time and activity during your day. Use at least one of सवा/साढ़े/पौने and a time-of-day word.
Writing: Half-letters and conjuncts (हलंत [halant])
Practice words
| Word | Romanization |
|---|---|
| समय | samay |
| रात | rāt |
| घंटा | ghaṇṭā |
| मिनट | minaṭ |
Today we learn about half-letters (हलंत [halant]) — a crucial concept in Devanagari.
When two consonants appear together without a vowel between them, the first consonant loses its inherent 'a' vowel and becomes a 'half-letter.' This is shown by the halant mark (्) — a small diagonal stroke below the consonant.
For example:
- क [ka] + the halant = क् [k] (no vowel)
- क् [k] + त [ta] = क्त [kta] (as in वक्त [vakt] = time)
In practice, many consonant combinations have special combined forms rather than showing the halant explicitly. You'll see these as conjuncts (संयुक्त अक्षर [saṃyukt akṣar]) in the next lesson.
Today, focus on recognizing when a consonant has lost its inherent vowel. Look at the practice words and identify where half-letters appear.
Takeaway
Hindi time uses three key prefix words: सवा [savā] (+15), साढ़े [sāṛhe] (+30), पौने [paune] (-15). Remember the exceptions: डेढ़ [ḍeṛh] (1:30) and ढाई [ḍhāī] (2:30). Add सुबह/दोपहर/शाम/रात for AM/PM context. You can now schedule meetings in Hindi!