Breakdown of De films duren drie uur.
drie
three
de film
the film
het uur
hour / o'clock
duren
to last / to take time
Questions & Answers about De films duren drie uur.
Wait, why isn't it "drie uren"? Since it's three hours, shouldn't the word for hour be plural?
In Dutch, the word uur stays singular when it follows a number, even if that number is more than one. So you say één uur (one hour), drie uur (three hours), and tien uur (ten hours).
Could drie uur also mean "three o'clock"?
Yes! The phrase drie uur is used for both the duration "three hours" and the time "three o'clock". In this sentence, the verb duren (to last) makes it clear that we are talking about a duration.
What exactly does the verb duren mean?
Duren means "to last" or "to take time". A good trick to remember it is that it looks like the English word "duration". Because De films is plural, we use the plural form of the verb here.
Do you ever use the plural word uren?
Yes, but usually only when you are not using a specific number. For example, if you just wanted to say "The films last for hours" without saying exactly how many, you would say De films duren uren.