Time in Scots

How to tell the time in Scots (Scots Leid), a West Germanic language spoken mainly in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

English Scots
What time is it? Whit time is it?
Whit's the time noo?
It's one o'clock It's wan
It's quarter past one It's a quarter efter wan
It's half past one It's hauf-wan
It's quarter to two It's a quarter tae twa
It's two o'clock It's twa
It's quarter past two It's a quarter efter twa
It's half past two It's hauf-twa
It's quarter to three It's a quarter tae three
It's three o'clock It's three
It's quarter past three It's a quarter efter three
It's half past three It's hauf-three
It's quarter to four It's a quarter tae fower
It's four o'clock It's fower
It's quarter past four It's a quarter efter fower
It's half past four It's hauf-fower
It's quarter to five It's a quarter tae five
It's five o'clock It's five
It's quarter past five It's a quarter efter five
It's half past five It's hauf-five
It's quarter to six It's a quarter tae sax
It's six o'clock It's saz
It's quarter past six It's a quarter efter sax
It's half past six It's hauf-sax
It's quarter to seven It's a quarter tae seiven
It's seven o'clock It's seiven
It's quarter past seven It's a quarter efter seiven
It's half past seven It's hauf-seiven
It's quarter to eight It's a quarter tae echt
It's eight o'clock It's echt
It's quarter past eight It's a quarter efter echt
It's half past eight It's hauf-echt
It's quarter to nine It's a quarter tae nine
It's nine o'clock It's nine
It's quarter past nine It's a quarter efter nine
It's half past nine It's hauf-nine
It's quarter to ten It's a quarter tae ten
It's ten o'clock It's ten
It's quarter past ten It's a quarter efter ten
It's half past ten It's hauf-ten
It's quarter to eleven It's a quarter tae eleivin
It's eleven o'clock It's eleivin
It's quarter past eleven It's a quarter efter eleivin
It's half past eleven It's hauf-eleivin
It's quarter to twelve It's a quarter tae twal
It's twelve o'clock It's twal
It's quarter past twelve It's a quarter efter twal
It's half past twelve It's hauf-twal
It's quarter to one It's a quarter tae wan
It's midnight It's midnicht / the deid oor o nicht
It's midday / noon It's twaloors / nuin
in the morning in the mornin
in the early morning in the wee-oors / smaw oors
in the late morning in the forenuin
in the afternoon in the efernuin
in the evening in the evenin / forenicht, at e'en

Notes

In traditional Scots hauf-twa meant half past one, and hauf-three meant half past two - like in other Germanic languages, except English. Modern Scots follows the English system.

This information comes from the from L Colin Wilson's Luath Scots Language Learner, which focuses particularly on the Scots of North East Scotland, or Doric. There are other dialects of Scots, and other ways of writing Scots.

Information about numbers and time in Scots
https://www.scotslanguage.com/Numbers_and_Time

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Information about Scots | Phrases | Numbers | Time | Family words | Books about Scots on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]

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