Breakdown of Która jest godzina? Teraz jest wpół do ósmej.
być
to be
teraz
now
do
to
który
which, who (relative)
Questions & Answers about Która jest godzina? Teraz jest wpół do ósmej.
Why do we use Która to ask "what time"?
In Polish, you literally ask "Which hour is it?" Since the word for hour, godzina, is a feminine noun, you use the feminine word for "which", which is Która.
If the time is half past seven, why does the Polish sentence use ósmej (eighth)?
While English looks back at the hour that just passed (half past seven), Polish looks forward to the upcoming hour. The phrase wpół do ósmej literally translates to "halfway to the eighth hour." Whenever you use wpół do, you must state the hour that is approaching.
Why is the word for eighth written as ósmej here instead of ósma?
The preposition do (meaning "to" or "until") always forces the following word into the Genitive case. Because hours are treated as feminine adjectives in Polish, the base form ósma changes to ósmej in the Genitive case.
Does the word wpół ever change its ending?
No, wpół is an unchangeable word meaning "half" or "halfway". For half-hour times, you will always use the exact fixed phrase wpół do followed by the approaching hour in the Genitive case.
Can I leave out the word godzina when asking the time?