Breakdown of Cât e ceasul?
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
ceasul
the watch / the clock (the time)
cât
how much / how many
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Questions & Answers about Cât e ceasul?
Why do we use "cât" instead of a word for "what"?
In English you ask "What time is it?", but in Romanian you literally ask "How much is the clock?". The word cât means "how much" or "how many".
What does "ceasul" literally mean?
Ceasul literally means "the clock" or "the watch". It is made up of the base word ceas (clock) and the ending -ul, which is how Romanian attaches the word "the" to the end of a noun.
Can I say "Cât este ceasul?" instead?
Yes, absolutely! E is just the short, everyday spoken form of este (is). Both are perfectly correct, but e is much more common when asking for the time in casual conversation.
Does this relate to the phrase "e ora..." from the lesson?
Yes! When someone asks Cât e ceasul?, you usually reply using e ora... (it is the hour...). You might also hear people ask for the time by saying Cât e ora? (How much is the hour?), which means exactly the same thing.