Questions & Answers about Hoe laat is het nu?
Why does the Dutch sentence say hoe laat instead of something literally meaning "what time"?
In Dutch, you don't ask "what time is it." Instead, you literally ask "how late is it" (hoe laat is het). This is the standard, fixed expression for asking the time, so it is best to memorize it as a single block!
What does het do in this sentence?
Het means "it". Just like in English when we say "it is three o'clock", Dutch uses het as a "dummy" subject when talking about time or the weather.
Why does the verb is come before the subject het?
Because this is a question! In Dutch, questions usually start with the question word or phrase (in this case, hoe laat), followed immediately by the verb (is), and then the subject (het).
Do I always have to include nu to ask for the time?
No, you can simply ask Hoe laat is het? (What time is it?). Adding nu (now) just makes it a bit more specific, like asking "What time is it right now?"