You have already learned to tell time with the counters 時 and 分. Using the suffix 間, you can change a time into a duration of time. Check out the two sentences below to see how 間 modifies the meaning of the second sentence.
English | Japanese |
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I ate at one o'clock. | 一時 に 食べました。itizi ni tabemasita. |
I ate for one hour. | 一時間 食べました。itizikan tabemasita. |
Below are more examples of sentences using the suffix 間.
English | Japanese |
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How many hours did you play tennis? | 何時間 テニス を しました か?nanzikan tenisu wo simasita ka? |
It takes 30 minutes. | 三十分間 かかります。sanzyuppunkan kakarimasu. |
We watched TV for two hours and ten minutes. | 私たち は 二時間 十分 テレビ を 見ました。watasitati ha nizikan zyuppun terebi wo mimasita. |