Breakdown of Het diner begint om ongeveer zes uur.
zes
six
beginnen
to begin
het uur
the hour / o'clock
om
at (time)
Questions & Answers about Het diner begint om ongeveer zes uur.
The lesson says om is for exact times, but this sentence says ongeveer (approximately). Can we still use om?
Yes! Even though ongeveer makes the time an estimate, you are still referring to a specific point on the clock. In Dutch, you use om to say at a certain time of day, even if you add modifiers like ongeveer (about) or bijna (almost).
Why is ongeveer placed between om and zes uur?
Ongeveer (approximately or about) directly modifies the time, so it stays right next to zes uur. It goes after the preposition om, exactly matching the English word order: "at (om) about (ongeveer) six o'clock (zes uur)".
Doesn't uur usually mean "hour"? How do I know it means "o'clock" here?
Uur translates to both "hour" (a duration) and "o'clock" (a time of day). When combined with a preposition of time like om or a starting verb like begint, it refers to a time on the clock. If the sentence was about duration, it would use a verb like duurt (lasts) and skip om, for example: Het diner duurt zes uur (The dinner lasts six hours).
Why does diner only have one "n"?