Word
الان ساعت هشت و نیم است.
Meaning
It is half past eight now.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about الان ساعت هشت و نیم است.
Do I always have to say ساعت before the number when telling time?
Yes, in Farsi it is standard to use ساعت (sâ'at) right before the number to establish that you are talking about the time. You are literally saying the hour is eight.
How exactly does و نیم translate to half past?
نیم (nim) means half. To say half past an hour in Farsi, you literally say the hour, then add و (and), followed by نیم. So هشت و نیم translates exactly to eight and a half.
Is the word و pronounced as va or o in this sentence?
In everyday spoken Farsi, the connecting و (and) is almost always pronounced as a short o sound. So هشت و نیم is pronounced hasht-o nim.
Why is الان placed at the very beginning?
In Farsi, words that describe when something happens, like الان (alân, meaning now), usually go at the beginning of the sentence. As a reminder, the verb است (ast, meaning is) must stay at the very end.