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Questions & Answers about Która jest godzina?
Why does this use która instead of the word for 'what'?
In Polish, you literally ask 'Which hour is it?'. Która means 'which' (in the feminine form), and it is used because the word for hour, godzina, is a feminine noun.
Why does it say godzina (hour) instead of a word for 'time'?
Polish uses the word for 'hour' (godzina) to ask about the clock time. If you asked about 'time' using the Polish word czas, it would sound like you are asking a deep, philosophical question about the nature of time itself!
Can I just say Która godzina? without the word jest?
Yes, absolutely! Dropping the verb jest (is) is very common in everyday spoken Polish. Która godzina? sounds perfectly natural and is probably what you will hear most often on the street.
Is the word order strict? Could I say Która godzina jest?
Polish word order is quite flexible. Która jest godzina? and Która godzina jest? are both completely correct and mean exactly the same thing, though putting jest in the middle has a very natural rhythm to native speakers.