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Mola saat on buçuk.

Mola saat on buçuk.
The break is at half past ten.
From Lesson 57:Telling time (saat, buçuk)·Turkish

Breakdown of Mola saat on buçuk.

on
ten
saat
hour / o'clock
buçuk
half past
mola
break

Questions & Answers about Mola saat on buçuk.

Where is the verb 'is' in this sentence?
In Turkish, you often don't need a word for 'is' in simple statements like this. The sentence literally translates to 'Break time ten half.' The 'is' is naturally understood.
Why isn't there a word for 'at' (like the suffix -ta) attached to the time?
In everyday Turkish, people sometimes drop the locative suffix (-da or -ta, meaning 'at') when stating when an event happens. You will also hear Mola saat on buçukta (The break is AT ten thirty), but leaving the suffix off is very common and simply means 'The break is ten thirty.'
Could I use the word 'yarım' instead of 'buçuk' for 'half'?
No. Both words mean 'half', but they are used differently. Yarım is for a standalone half of an object or amount (like half an hour: yarım saat). Buçuk is used only when adding a half to a whole number, like ten and a half.
Why does 'saat' come before the number here?
When naming a point in time on the clock, Turkish places the word saat (hour/time) before the number. Saat on means 'ten o'clock'. If you reverse the order and say on saat, it changes the meaning to a duration of 'ten hours'!

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