What time is it? (Zer ordu da?)

In Basque, the time is constructed with the verb izan (to be) and, except for ‘one o’clock’, the hour is always in the plural. Literally: “they are the fives”, “they are the eights”. It sounds strange at first, but the pattern is very regular.

The question

To ask the time, you use Zer ordu da? (“what time is it?”).

— Zer ordu da?

— Zazpiak dira. (It’s seven o’clock.)

On the hour

Time	Basque
1:00	Ordu bata da
2:00	Ordu biak dira
3:00	Hirurak dira
4:00	Laurak dira
5:00	Bostak dira
6:00	Seiak dira
7:00	Zazpiak dira
8:00	Zortziak dira
9:00	Bederatziak dira
10:00	Hamarrak dira
11:00	Hamaikak dira
12:00	Hamabiak dira

Why one and two o’clock are special

• Ordu bata (one o’clock) is singular, so you say it with da: Ordu bata da.
• Ordu biak (two o’clock) has the word ordu before it because biak alone could be confusing — it’s the only hour where many people add “ordu” for clarity. The others (from three o’clock onwards) stand alone: hirurak, laurak, bostak…

The -ak suffix

Where does that final -ak come from? It’s the Basque plural (you saw it in gurasoak, aiton-amonak). Here too: bost (five) → bostak (“the fives”) + dira (“are”).

Note: many people tell time using the 12-hour clock, just like in Spanish. To distinguish between morning and afternoon, you just add goizeko (of the morning) or arratsaldeko (of the afternoon) before the time: goizeko zortziak (eight in the morning). We’ll see this in lesson 3.

Practice

Look at the clock on your phone right now and say the time out loud. If it’s eleven: hamaikak dira. If it’s one: ordu bata da. Do this all week every time you look at the clock — it’s the best way to make it automatic.