Telling Time (Koliko je sati?)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
To ask the time, use 'Koliko je sati?', and answer using the ordinal number for the hour.
- Ask 'Koliko je sati?' (How much is it?)
- Use ordinal numbers for hours: 'Jedan je sat' (It is one o'clock).
- Use 'i' for minutes past the hour: 'Dva i pet' (Five past two).
Hour Agreement Table
| Number | Croatian | Noun Form | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
jedan
|
sat
|
jedan sat
|
|
2
|
dva
|
sata
|
dva sata
|
|
3
|
tri
|
sata
|
tri sata
|
|
4
|
četiri
|
sata
|
četiri sata
|
|
5
|
pet
|
sati
|
pet sati
|
|
10
|
deset
|
sati
|
deset sati
|
Common Time Shortcuts
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
|
pola šest
|
5:30
|
|
petnaest do šest
|
5:45
|
Meanings
This grammar rule is used to inquire about and state the current time of day.
Inquiry
Asking for the time.
“Koliko je sati?”
“Možete li mi reći koliko je sati?”
Stating the hour
Giving the exact hour.
“Sada je jedan sat.”
“Sada je pet sati.”
Stating minutes
Adding minutes past the hour.
“Dva i pet.”
“Tri i deset.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Sada je + [Hour]
|
Sada je pet sati.
|
|
Negative
|
Nije + [Hour]
|
Nije pet sati.
|
|
Question
|
Koliko je sati?
|
Koliko je sati?
|
|
Short Answer
|
[Hour] + [Minutes]
|
Pet i deset.
|
|
Future
|
Bit će + [Hour]
|
Bit će pet sati.
|
|
Past
|
Bilo je + [Hour]
|
Bilo je pet sati.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Možete li mi reći koliko je sati? (Asking time)
Koliko je sati? (Asking time)
Koliko je? (Asking time)
Kol'ko je? (Asking time)
Time Components
Hours
- sat hour
Minutes
- minuta minute
Beispiele nach Niveau
Koliko je sati?
What time is it?
Sada je jedan sat.
It is one o'clock now.
Sada je pet sati.
It is five o'clock now.
Dva i deset.
Ten past two.
Film počinje u osam sati.
The movie starts at eight o'clock.
Čekam te u tri sata.
I am waiting for you at three o'clock.
Sada je dvanaest i petnaest.
It is 12:15 now.
Je li sada četiri sata?
Is it four o'clock now?
Vlak polazi u četrnaest sati.
The train leaves at 14:00.
Sastanak je u devet sati ujutro.
The meeting is at 9 AM.
Dođi u šest i trideset.
Come at 6:30.
Moram biti tamo u jedanaest sati.
I must be there at 11 o'clock.
Konferencija počinje točno u deset sati.
The conference starts exactly at 10:00.
Radno vrijeme je od osam do šesnaest sati.
Working hours are from 8 to 16.
Bilo je već sedam sati navečer.
It was already 7 PM.
Završit ćemo oko pet sati.
We will finish around 5 o'clock.
Predstava je pomaknuta na dvadeset sati.
The show has been moved to 20:00.
Sastajemo se u pola sedam.
We are meeting at half past six.
Trajao je punih pet sati.
It lasted a full five hours.
Stigao je u sitne sate.
He arrived in the early hours.
Uredba stupa na snagu u nula sati.
The regulation enters into force at midnight.
Čekali smo do kasnih večernjih sati.
We waited until late evening hours.
Vrijeme je relativan pojam, ali sada je točno podne.
Time is a relative concept, but it is exactly noon.
Svi su se razišli u gluho doba noći.
Everyone dispersed in the dead of night.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners think 'pola pet' is 5:30, but it is 4:30.
Häufige Fehler
Koliko sati?
Koliko je sati?
Pet sat
Pet sati
Dva sati
Dva sata
Jedan sata
Jedan sat
U pet sati
U pet sati
Je pet sati
Sada je pet sati
Pet minuta do šest
Pet do šest
Sastanak je u 14:00 sati
Sastanak je u 14 sati
Pola pet
Pola pet
U 15 sati
U 15 sati
U gluho doba
U gluho doba noći
Stigao je u sitne sate
Stigao je u sitne sate
Vrijeme je relativno
Vrijeme je relativan pojam
Satzmuster
Sada je ___ sati.
Real World Usage
Kad se vidimo? U 5?
Vlak polazi u 14:30.
Sastanak je u 9 sati.
Stiže za 30 minuta.
Live u 20h!
Sat počinje u 8.
Use 24h for travel
Pola rule
Drop 'minuta'
Time is flexible
Smart Tips
Always add 'molim' (please) to be polite.
Don't add 'sati' if you use the 'h' suffix.
Always think of the next hour.
Use 'trajati' (to last).
Aussprache
Sati
The 'ti' is soft.
Question
Koliko je sati? ↗
Rising intonation for questions.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember: '1 is a sat, 2-4 are sata, 5+ are sati.'
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a clock with a cat (sat) on it. For 2-4, imagine two cats (sata). For 5+, imagine a whole city (sati) of cats.
Rhyme
Jedan sat, dva sata, pet sati, vrijeme se hvata!
Story
Ana looked at the clock. It was one o'clock (jedan sat). She waited for two hours (dva sata). Finally, after five hours (pet sati), the train arrived.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Look at your watch/phone every hour today and say the time out loud in Croatian.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Croatians are generally relaxed about time, but formal meetings start on time.
Derived from Slavic roots for 'hour'.
Gesprächseinstiege
Koliko je sati?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Koliko ___ sati?
Sada je ___ sat.
Find and fix the mistake:
Pet sat.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
It is three o'clock.
Answer starts with: a...
4:30 is...
Vlak polazi u ___ sati.
Formal time:
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesKoliko ___ sati?
Sada je ___ sat.
Find and fix the mistake:
Pet sat.
sati / je / Koliko / ?
It is three o'clock.
4:30 is...
Vlak polazi u ___ sati.
Formal time:
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
It is a grammatical rule called the genitive singular.
No, that is incorrect. It must be 'dva sata'.
Yes, it is the standard way to ask.
You can say 'dvanaest sati' or 'podne' (noon) / 'ponoć' (midnight).
Not in casual speech.
Croatian uses 'ujutro', 'poslijepodne', 'navečer' or 24h.
It means 'half of the fifth hour'.
You can say 'Kasnim 5 minuta'.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
¿Qué hora es?
Croatian uses singular 'je' regardless of the number.
Wie spät ist es?
German has different word orders.
Quelle heure est-il?
Croatian is more direct.
Nan-ji desu ka?
Croatian uses case endings.
Kam al-sa'a?
Arabic has dual forms.
Jǐ diǎn le?
Chinese has no conjugation.
