Expertlatin
Telling the time in Latin
| English | Latin (Lingua Latina) |
|---|---|
| It's twelve o'clock | (Hōra) duodecima est |
| It's quarter past twelve | (Hōra) dodici cum quīdrante |
| It's half past twelve | (Hōra) dodici cum sēmisse |
| It's quarter to one | (Hōra) duodecima cum dōdrante |
What are the hours of the day in Latin?
The daytime canonical hours of the Catholic Church take their names from the Roman clock: the prime, terce, sext and none occur during the first (prīma) = 6 am, third (tertia) = 9 am, sixth (sexta) = 12 pm, and ninth (nōna) = 3 pm, hours of the day. The English term noon is also derived from the ninth hour.
Who actually spoke Latin?
Originally spoken by small groups of people living along the lower Tiber River, Latin spread with the increase of Roman political power, first throughout Italy and then throughout most of western and southern Europe and the central and western Mediterranean coastal regions of Africa.
