Learning time in any language is the basic part of learning the language. It not only allows you to learn the language but also helps to learn the management of time because it enhances cognitive function. Which, with the passage of time, tends to help in unlocking different strategies of language learning. Before learning more about how to tell time in Balochi language, let’s learn some basic vocabulary.
Telling time in Balochi uses specific time-of-day phrases followed by the hour number and “adár” (o’clock). Key phrases include بانگواہ (AM), بیگاہ(PM), and نیم شپ(midnight).
- Key Time Vocabulary & Structure
- 1:00 AM: بانگواہ یک adár
- 2:00 AM: بانگواہ دو adár
- 1:00 PM: بیگاہ یک adár
- 2:00 PM: بیگاہ دو adár
- Midnight: نیم شپ
- Numbers (1-12) for Time
Learning numbers is very essential for telling time in Balochi. Do you remember some of these numbers from the previous blog?
1. Yak (یک)
2. Do (دو)
3. Sey (سہ)
4. Chár (چہار)
5. Panch (پنج)
6. Shesh (شش)
7. Haft (ہفت)
8. Hasht (ہشت)
9. No (نہ)
10. Dah (دہ)
11. Yázdah (یازْدہ)
12. Dwázdah (دوازْدہ)
Example: 5:00 PM is “Bégahay panch adár.”بیگاہءِ
In Balochi, you tell specific times using “ném” for half and “páv” for quarter, often borrowing structures similar to Persian or Urdu.
- Fractions of Time
Here are some time fractions to help you tell time in the Balochi language:
* Half Past (30 mins): Use Ném (نیم).
* Example (5:30): Panch o ném (پنج و نیم) — literally “five and half.”
* Quarter Past (15 mins): Use Páv (پاؤ) or Sawa (سوا).
* Example (5:15): Panch o páv (پنج و پاؤ).
* Quarter To (45 mins): Use Pawn (پون).
* Example (5:45): Pawn shesh (پون شش) — liter
- Minutes Past and To
To be more precise, use the numbers followed by minutes:
* Minutes Past: Hour + o (and) + Minutes.
* Example (5:10): Panch o dah minut (پنج و دہ منٹ).
* Minutes To: Minutes + kam (less) + Next Hour.
* Example (5:50): Dah minut kam shesh (دہ منٹ کم شش) — “ten minutes less than six.”
- Summary Table
| Time | Balochi phrase | Meaning |
| 5:15 | Panch o sawa/سوا پنچ | Five and a quarter |
| 5:30 | Panch o ném/ پنچ نیم | Five and a half |
| 5:45 | Pawn shesh/پون شش | Quarter to six |
| 5:10 | Panch o dah minut/پنچ داہ | Ten minutes past five |
| 5:50 | Dah minut kam shesh/داہ منٹ کم ششء | Ten minutes to six |
