Breakdown of E ora șase fără un sfert.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
un
a / an (m/n)
șase
six
ora
the hour
sfertul
the quarter
fără
without / to (telling time)
Questions & Answers about E ora șase fără un sfert.
Why does the sentence say șase fără un sfert instead of translating "a quarter to six" exactly?
In English we say "a quarter to six", but Romanian approaches it as "six minus a quarter". The word fără literally means "without". So, you state the upcoming hour (șase) and subtract the minutes (fără un sfert).
Do I always need to include ora when telling the time?
Yes, it is very common in Romanian to use ora (the hour) before the number. You can sometimes drop it in casual speech and just say E șase, but including ora is the standard, natural way to tell time.
Does sfert only mean "quarter" when talking about time?
No, sfert means a physical "quarter" (one fourth) of anything, not just time. For example, you can buy un sfert of a loaf of bread or a kilo of cheese. In time telling, it simply stands for 15 minutes.
Why does the sentence start with E instead of Este?
E is just the short, everyday spoken form of este (it is). Both are completely correct, but E is much more common in spoken Romanian, especially for everyday phrases like E ora șase.
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