Questions & Answers about Saat kaç?
Why does this translate to 'What time is it?' when 'kaç' means 'how many'?
Saat means 'hour' or 'clock', and kaç means 'how many'. So literally, you are asking 'How many hours?' or 'Which hour?'. This is the standard Turkish way to ask 'What time is it?'.
Where are the words for 'it' and 'is' in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use dummy pronouns like 'it' for the time or weather, and the 'to be' verb ('is') is often completely invisible in simple present-tense sentences. Just Saat kaç? is a complete, grammatically correct question.
Since the lesson also teaches 'Saat kaçta?', why is there no '-ta' ending here?
Saat kaç? is used when you want to know what the clock says right now ('What time is it?'). You only add the 'at' suffix -ta to make Saat kaçta? when you want to ask 'At what time?' an event is going to happen.
Can I use the word 'zaman' to ask for the time instead?
No, even though zaman means 'time' in a general sense, Turkish specifically uses saat (clock or hour) when asking for the time of day on a clock.
Learn Saat kaç and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free