Time and your day

지금, 오늘, 내일 go in front, with nothing attached

지금 집에 가요 — I’m going home now. 오늘 학교에 가요 — I’m going to school today. 내일 친구를 만나요 — I’m meeting a friend tomorrow. The time word comes first and takes no particle.

Look at the verb in the third sentence: it is the ordinary 만나요. The word 내일 is enough to show that it is about tomorrow. These three words also answer 언제: 언제 와요? — 내일 와요.

Morning, evening and the weekend take 에

아침에 커피를 마셔요. 저녁에 영화를 봐요. 주말에 친구를 만나요. Parts of the day and 주말 (weekend) take 에 — the same particle as for places, now meaning “in” or “at” a time.

The last sentence, 점심을 먹어요, shows a second use: 아침, 점심 and 저녁 also name the meal — breakfast, lunch, dinner. As a meal the word is an object and takes 을.

지금, 오늘 and 내일 never take 에.

The hour: 한 시, 두 시, 세 시

몇 시예요? asks the time; 몇 asks for a number. The answer: 지금 세 시예요, “it is three o’clock now”.

시 works like a counter for hours, so the hour uses the counting numbers in their short forms: 한 시, 두 시, 세 시, 네 시, then 다섯 시 and so on. With the numbers you know, you can say one to ten o’clock.

몇 시 is pronounced [멷 씨].

Minutes use the other number set

두 시 삼십 분이에요 — it is 2:30. The hour is 두, from the 하나-둘 set. The minutes are 삼십, from the 일-이-삼 set, followed by 분 (minute). One clock time uses both sets: counting numbers for 시, price numbers for 분.

For half past there is a shortcut: 반 (half) replaces 삼십 분. 두 시 반이에요.

분 and 반 end in a consonant, so the sentence ends in 이에요; 시 ends in a vowel, so 세 시예요.

“At” a time: add 에

몇 시에 일어나요? — what time do you get up? 일곱 시에 일어나요 — I get up at seven. 열 시에 자요 — I go to sleep at ten. The new verb is 일어나요, “get up”, pronounced [이러나요].

Compare the two endings. 세 시예요 says what time it is. 세 시에 says when something happens, and a verb follows. They are one syllable apart.