Asking and Telling the Time
In Finnish, telling the time revolves around the word kello (clock). To ask "What time is it?", you literally ask "How much is the clock?".
To answer, simply say Kello on followed by the number. You can add tasan to emphasize that it is "exactly" on the hour.
Half Past: Looking Forward
The most important rule in Finnish time-telling is how to express "half past". Instead of looking back at the current hour, Finnish looks ahead to the next hour using the word puoli (half).
Because of this, half past two (2:30) is puoli kolme—literally "halfway to three"!
Past and To
For minutes past the hour, use yli (over/past). For minutes before the hour, use vailla (lacking/to).
The words for quarter (vartti) and minute (minuutti) take the partitive ending (-a/-ä) in these phrases. You can also specify the time of day with words like aamulla (in the morning) or illalla (in the evening).
At What Time?
To ask "at what time" an event happens, use the phrase mihin aikaan.
When answering, you do not need a preposition like "at" in front of the time. You can simply state kello followed by the number, or state the exact time expression directly. For late-night events, use yöllä (at night).
