Hungarian time converter
Pick a time to see how Hungarians say it in everyday speech (fél három for 2:30), in official 24-hour style (tizennégy óra harminc perc) and with -kor for "at" (fél háromkor).
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Hungarians count quarters toward the coming hour: fél három is 2:30, literally "half three" in the sense of halfway to three. English speakers, and especially Brits who say "half three" for 3:30, get this wrong constantly. The converter gives you the right phrase for any time.
The quarter system in one table
| Clock | Everyday Hungarian | Literally | "At" form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | két óra | two hour | két órakor |
| 2:15 | negyed három | quarter (toward) three | negyed háromkor |
| 2:30 | fél három | half (toward) three | fél háromkor |
| 2:45 | háromnegyed három | three quarters (toward) three | háromnegyed háromkor |
| 3:00 | három óra | three hour | három órakor |
Minutes around a quarter are expressed relative to it: öt perc múlva fél három ("in five minutes half three", 2:25) and fél három múlt öt perccel ("half three passed by five minutes", 2:35). This is how the converter phrases times that are not on a quarter.
Official time and the 24-hour clock
Timetables, broadcasts, invitations and offices use the 24-hour clock read out in full: tizennégy óra harminc perc, often shortened to tizennégy harminc. In conversation people use the 12-hour quarter system and add a part of the day when needed: reggel (morning), délelőtt (late morning), délben (at noon), délután (afternoon), este (evening), éjjel (at night).
Tip: the question decides the form. Hány óra van? (What time is it?) is answered with the plain form: Fél három. Hány órakor? or Mikor? (At what time?) is answered with -kor: Fél háromkor.
The full guide to telling time in Hungarian covers minutes with múlt and múlva, durations and parts of the day; for dates, see dates, days and months. For the number words themselves, see the number converter.
Sources and further reading
- Carol H. Rounds, Hungarian: An Essential Grammar (2nd ed., Routledge, 2009), section on telling time
- Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, A magyar helyesírás szabályai (12th ed., Akadémiai Kiadó, 2015), on writing times and numbers
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 2:30 in Hungarian?
Fél három, "half (toward) three". Hungarian always refers to the coming hour with negyed, fél and háromnegyed.
How do you say "at 3 o'clock" in Hungarian?
Három órakor, or informally just háromkor. The suffix -kor means "at" for times.
Is it két óra or kettő óra?
Két óra, because the number stands before a noun. But "half past one" is fél kettő, where the number stands alone.
What are dél and éjfél?
Dél is noon and éjfél is midnight; "at noon" is délben and "at midnight" is éjfélkor.