Learn Dutch: Is die vergadering om half elf klaar? - Is that meeting finished at half past ten?

Yes, elf is eleven! But in Dutch, half hours look forward to the next hour. So half elf literally means "halfway to eleven," which is 10:30 or half past ten in English.

Why do we use om before the time here?

In Dutch, you always use the word om to say "at" a specific clock time. So om half elf translates perfectly to "at half past ten."

Why is klaar at the very end of the sentence?

In Dutch, time information like om half elf usually comes right after the main subject and verb. Adjectives that describe the subject's state, like klaar (finished), get pushed to the very end of the sentence.

Can klaar mean both "ready" and "finished"?

Yes! Depending on the context, klaar can mean you are prepared for something (ready) or that an event has ended (finished). Since a meeting cannot really be "ready" to do something, it makes the most sense to translate it as "finished" here.

Why is it die vergadering instead of dat vergadering?