Pardon, saat kaç?

Pardon is an interjection meaning something like Excuse me or Sorry. In this sentence, it is used to politely get someone’s attention before asking the time.

So:

• Pardon, saat kaç? = Excuse me, what time is it?

It is common in everyday speech, especially in quick interactions with strangers.

Turkish often leaves out the verb to be in simple present-tense sentences and questions.

So while English says:

• What time is it?

Turkish simply says:

• Saat kaç?
• literally: Hour/time how many?

The idea of is it is understood automatically, so Turkish does not need to say it here.

Kaç is used for asking about a number or quantity: how many / what number.

Since clock time is expressed with numbers, Turkish asks:

• Saat kaç? = What number is the hour? → What time is it?

By contrast, ne means what in a more general sense, not specifically a number.

So:

• ne = what
• kaç = how many / what number

That is why kaç is the natural choice here.

Saat can mean:

• clock
• watch
• hour
• time (in certain expressions)

In Saat kaç?, it refers to the time on the clock, so the whole expression means What time is it?

This is a very common fixed phrase, so it is best learned as a whole.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Pardon → par-don
• saat → sa-at
• kaç → kach

A few useful notes:

• aa in saat is pronounced as two vowels, not one long English-style vowel. You should hear both parts: sa-at.
• ç is pronounced like ch in church.
• a is usually like a in father, not like the English a in cat.

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

• par-don, sa-at kach?

Yes, it is polite enough for many everyday situations, especially if spoken with a polite tone.

If you want to sound a bit more formal or careful, you can also say:

• Afedersiniz, saat kaç? = Excuse me, what time is it?

In general:

• Pardon = common, short, natural
• Afedersiniz = more formal/polite

Yes. Saat kaç? by itself is perfectly natural and very common.

However:

• with friends, family, classmates, coworkers: Saat kaç? is usually fine
• with a stranger: adding Pardon or Afedersiniz is more polite

So both are correct, but the fuller version is better when you are getting someone’s attention.

Yes. A few common alternatives are:

• Saat kaç? = What time is it?
• Saat kaç oldu? = What time is it now? / What time has it become?
• Saat kaç acaba? = I wonder what time it is. (softer, more indirect)

But Saat kaç? is the basic and most useful form to learn first.

The comma shows that Pardon is separate from the main question.

It works like English:

• Excuse me, what time is it?

So the sentence has two parts:

• Pardon = attention-getter
• saat kaç? = the actual question

In speech, you would normally make a small pause there.

A person might answer with just the time, for example:

• Saat üç. = It’s three o’clock.
• Üç buçuk. = Three thirty.
• Dört. = Four.

In casual conversation, Turkish often gives only the time itself, because the rest is understood.

So if someone asks:

• Pardon, saat kaç?

a natural reply could simply be:

• İki on geçiyor. = It’s ten past two.