Time & Dates

1. Ng tela el klok?

   What time is it?

   Usage

   Used to ask what time it is

   Grammar Note

   "Ng tela el klok?" is the set phrase for "What time is it?"; klebesei means "night / a 24-hour period", not clock time

2. Ng tela el sils?

   What day of the week is it?

   Usage

   Used to ask what day of the week it is

   Grammar Note

   sils = day/sun. Days of the week use descriptive phrases

3. Chelechang / Sils el eou / Sils el mla mo

   Today / Tomorrow / Yesterday

   Usage

   Basic time vocabulary for today, tomorrow, and yesterday

   Grammar Note

   Chelechang = now/today. el eou = coming (future). el mla mo = went (past)

4. Tia el sandei / Er tia el me el sandei / Er tia el mlo merek el sandei

   This week / Next week / Last week

   Usage

   Used to refer to this week, next week, or last week

   Grammar Note

   The word for "week" is sandei (borrowed from English "Sunday"); the next-week / last-week phrases are idioms. Klebesei means "night", not "week"

5. Er a ngesechel el tutau / er a sils / er a kebesengei / er a klebesei

   In the morning / afternoon / evening / at night

   Usage

   Used to refer to parts of the day

   Grammar Note

   tutau = morning, kebesengei = evening, klebesei = night. er a = at/in (preposition). "Bong" is a taro-patch drainage ditch, not a time of day

6. Ng tela el sils er chelechang?

   What is today's date?

   Usage

   Used to ask what today's date is

   Grammar Note

   Sils is "day; sun" and chelechang is "today". Klekool is n. "game", not "date" or "number".

7. Ng tela el klok e ng omuchel?

   At what time does it open?

   Usage

   Used to ask about opening time

   Grammar Note

   E.g. "Tela el klok e a makit a omuchel?" ("What time does the market open?"). Note that oltoir means "to chase/court", not "to open"

8. Ng tela el bung el mo er sei?

   How long will it take to get there?

   Usage

   Used to ask about travel time to a destination

   Grammar Note

   "Bung" is a loanword from Japanese 分 (minute); "er sei" = "over there".

9. Kede kasoues er a edei el klok.

   Let's meet at 3 pm.

   Usage

   Used to arrange a meeting time

   Grammar Note

   Clock time uses "... el klok" (cf. "er a ede el klok me a tedobech" = at three thirty). Klebesei means "night"

10. Ng mekera a sils?

    What month is it?

    Usage

    Used to ask what month it is

    Grammar Note

    mekera = what/which. sils used for both day and month context

11. Ng tela el sils el mo a appointment?

    I'd like to make an appointment for what date?

    Usage

    Used when scheduling an appointment

    Grammar Note

    appointment borrowed from English. tela el sils = on what day

12. Ng ngar er ngii a ureor er a weekend?

    Is it open on weekends?

    Usage

    Used to ask if somewhere is open on weekends

    Grammar Note

    ureor = work/operation. weekend borrowed from English

13. Ng tela el sils?

    How many days?

    Usage

    Used to ask how many days or hours remain until an event

    Grammar Note

    A quantity is asked with Ng tela el ...? (Ng tela el klok...? = "what time...?"). Sils is "day". Klekool is n. "game", mekera is "how", and belkul is "meaning" - none of them expresses days remaining.

14. Ng ngara a time zone er tiang?

    What time zone are we in?

    Usage

    Used to ask about the local time zone

    Grammar Note

    time zone borrowed from English. er tiang = here

15. Ta el sils.

    One day

    Usage

    Word for a duration of one day

16. Ta el buil.

    One month

    Usage

    Word for a duration of one month

17. Ta el rak.

    One year

    Usage

    Word for a duration of one year

18. Chelechang.

    Today

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating today

19. Sils el eou.

    Tomorrow

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating tomorrow

20. Sils el mla mo.

    Yesterday

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating yesterday

21. Tutau.

    Morning

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating morning

22. Klebesei.

    Night

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating night

23. Tia el sandei.

    This week

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating this week

24. Er tia el me el sandei.

    Next week

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating next week

25. Er tia el mlo merek el sandei.

    Last week

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating last week

26. Weekend.

    Weekend

    Usage

    Word to point at when indicating the weekend (English loanword)

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