Half past, quarter past, to (eta erdiak, eta laurden, gutxi)

For minutes in Basque there are three constructions that cover almost everything: eta erdiak (half past), eta laurden (quarter past) and gutxi (to). The trick is knowing where each piece goes.

”Half past” — the special case

Unlike the rest, “half past” makes the hour plural too — and the word “half” as well:

Time	Basque
1:30	Ordu bat eta erdiak dira
2:30	Ordu bi eta erdiak dira
3:30	Hiru eta erdiak dira
4:30	Lau eta erdiak dira
5:30	Bost eta erdiak dira
7:30	Zazpi eta erdiak dira

Notice: with eta erdiak the number goes without the -ak in front (bost, not bostak), because the plural is already carried by erdiak.

”Quarter past” and minutes past

When minutes have gone past the exact hour you use the formula HOUR-ak eta MINUTES:

Time	Basque
3:05	Hirurak eta bost dira
4:10	Laurak eta hamar dira
5:15	Bostak eta laurden dira
6:20	Seiak eta hogei dira
7:25	Zazpiak eta hogeita bost dira

Laurden means “quarter”, so eta laurden = “quarter past”.

”To” — gutxi goes at the end

From half past onwards, we speak in terms of the next hour with the word gutxi (“to/minus”). The order is: HOUR-ak + MINUTES + gutxi.

Time	Basque
6:35	Zazpiak hogeita bost gutxi dira
7:40	Zortziak hogei gutxi dira
8:45	Bederatziak laurden gutxi dira
9:50	Hamarrak hamar gutxi dira
10:55	Hamaikak bost gutxi dira

If you are coming from Spanish, the strangest thing is that gutxi goes after the number, not before. Bederatziak laurden gutxi literally is “the nines a quarter to”.

Summary table

Concept	Key word	Position
half past	eta erdiak	after the hour; goes with the number without -ak
quarter past	eta laurden	after the hour with -ak
X minutes past	eta + number	after the hour with -ak
quarter to	laurden gutxi	after the next hour with -ak
X minutes to	number + gutxi	after the next hour with -ak

Conversational example

— Zer ordu da?

— Zazpiak eta laurden dira. (It is a quarter past seven.)

— Eta orain?

— Zortziak laurden gutxi dira. (It is a quarter to eight.)

Cultural note: in many Basque towns the church bells still ring out the hours and the quarters. If you stop to listen to them, your ear gets used to the pattern before your mouth makes it automatic.