Talking about the time in Norway is a done in a mixture of English and German styles, which can make it difficult for anyone looking to start to learn Norwegian. Nevertheless, with a little practice and some helpful tips, learning how to tell the time in Norwegian can be simple.
How to Ask for the Time in Norwegian
While in English, a person would ask about the time itself (saying “what time is it?” for example) it is more common in Norwegian to ask about the clock (klokken). Two good Norwegian phrases are therefore:
- Hvor mange er klokken? - What is the time? (literally “How many is the clock?”)
- Hva er klokken? - What is the time? (literally “What is the clock?”)
If pronunciation of these phrases seems difficult, this guide to Norwegian pronunciation may be useful.
Saying Quarter Past in Norwegian
While many other European languages discuss time in relation to the upcoming hour, Norwegian follows the same timing system as English. It is therefore possible to say both “quarter past six” and “quarter to six”, and other multiples such as “ten to eight”.
One difference to note is that all statements are preceded by “klokken er ...” It is sometimes useful to think of this as “the time is”; in the way a speaking clock might.
- Klokken er ti på åtte – It's ten to eight
- Klokken er kvart på seks – It's quarter to six
- Klokken er kvart over seks – It's quarter past six
In Norwegian, the word for “to” is “på”, while the word for “past” is “over”. This can sometimes be confusing to those starting to learn norwegian as “over” is sometimes also used where we would use the word “of”, such as when talking about maps of places.
How to Say Half Past in Norwegian
Half hours can cause problems in Norwegian for native English speakers. Like Germans, Norwegians refer to the half hour as counting toward the next hour, rather than the hour just gone. The phrase “half past six” is therefore “half to seven” in Norwegian.
- Klokken er halv sju – It's half past six (literally: “The clock is half to seven”)
One way to remember this difference is to think of rounding-up decimals. In mathematics, 6.5 would be rounded up to 7 more often than it would be rounded down to 6. When it comes to halves, time in Norway follows the same principle.
In a similar vein, discussing times around the half hour can be problematic in Norwegian. Instead of phrases like “twenty past six” and “twenty-five to seven”, which are common in English, the Norwegians refer to the time in relation to the half hour mark:
- Klokken er ti på halv sju – It's twenty past six (literally: “It's ten to half to seven”)
- Klokken er fem over halv sju – It's twenty-five to seven (literally: “It's five past half to seven”)
Telling the time in Norwegian need not be difficult. Although the system of references used is a little different to that of English, remembering that much of the clock looks forward (rather than the “half back, half forward” system of English timing) makes the system a lot easier to understand. As with any other part of learning a new language, mastery of the rest comes with practice.
Zoe Kirk-Robinson - Zoë Kirk-Robinson is a freelance writer/artist specialising in legal writing, internet technology and creative writing. She holds a ...
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