Chapter 13: Time and Dates

Section 13.1: Telling Time

In Esperanto, telling time is relatively straightforward. Typically, the 24-hour clock system is used. Here are some essential phrases and examples for telling time in Esperanto:

  • Estas la [hour]. - It is [hour].
    • Estas la dek unua. - It is eleven o'clock.
  • La horloĝo montras [hour] [minute]. - The clock shows [hour] [minute].
    • La horloĝo montras la kvinon post la dek dua. - The clock shows five past twelve.
  • La tempo estas [hour] [minute]. - The time is [hour] [minute].
    • La tempo estas la tri kvardek kvin. - The time is 3:45.

Parts of the Day:

  • Matene - in the morning
  • Tage - during the day
  • Vespere - in the evening
  • Nokte - at night

Examples:

  • Estas la naŭa matene. - It is nine in the morning.
  • La horloĝo montras kvaronon post la dek du. - The clock shows a quarter past twelve.
  • La tempo estas kvin dek tri. - The time is 5:53.
  • Li venos vespere. - He will come in the evening.

Section 13.2: Days of the Week, Months, and Seasons

Days of the Week (Tagoj de la Semajno):

  • lundo - Monday
  • mardo - Tuesday
  • merkredo - Wednesday
  • ĵaŭdo - Thursday
  • vendredo - Friday
  • sabato - Saturday
  • dimanĉo - Sunday

Months (Monatoj):

  • januaro - January
  • februaro - February
  • marto - March
  • aprilo - April
  • majo - May
  • junio - June
  • julio - July
  • aŭgusto - August
  • septembro - September
  • oktobro - October
  • novembro - November
  • decembro - December

Seasons (Sezonoj):

  • printempo - spring
  • somero - summer
  • aŭtuno - autumn/fall
  • vintro - winter

Section 13.3: Talking about Dates and Events

When talking about dates and events in Esperanto, you can use the following format:

  • La [day] de [month] [year]. - [Day] of [month] [year].
    • La tria de marto, 2023. - March 3, 2023.
  • En [month]. - In [month].
    • En januaro, ni festas novan jaron. - In January, we celebrate the new year.
  • Dum [season]. - During [season].
    • Dum somero, ni ofte iras al la plaĝo. - During the summer, we often go to the beach.

Additional Time Expressions:

  • Ĉiutage - Daily
    • Li faras sporton ĉiutage. - He does sports daily.
  • La venonta semajno - Next week
    • La venonta semajno ni havos ferion. - Next week, we will have a vacation.
  • Nun - Now
    • Nun estas la plej bona tempo por agi. - Now is the best time to act.

Understanding how to express time and dates in Esperanto is essential for daily communication and scheduling events. Practice using these phrases to discuss specific moments and important occasions in your conversations.