Telling time: 'cât e ceasul?'

Pattern

Cât e ceasul? = "What time is it?" Answer: E ora ___ (it's ___ o'clock) or E ___ și un sfert / și jumătate / fără un sfert.

Explanation

To ask the time, use the standard phrase Cât e ceasul? (literally "How much is the clock?"). The answer typically starts with E ora ___: E ora opt (It's eight o'clock). For shorter forms, you can drop ora: E opt or E opt fix (It's exactly eight).

For minutes, Romanian uses și (and) for past the hour and fără (without) for before. E opt și zece (It's ten past eight). E nouă fără un sfert (It's a quarter to nine, literally "nine without a quarter"). For halves: și jumătate (and a half). For quarters: un sfert (a quarter).

The 24-hour clock is standard in writing, schedules, and formal speech: trenul pleacă la 18:30 (the train leaves at 18:30, said as "optsprezece treizeci"). Conversationally, people use the 12-hour clock with context: la șase seara (at 6 in the evening).

Examples

Common mistakes

• Saying "ce oră este": Grammatically OK but textbook-stiff. Use Cât e ceasul?
• Using "minus" for "before the hour": Romanian uses fără (without), not minus.
• Forgetting "ora": For formal/full answers, E ora opt; casual is just E opt.