47.1 Duration II (Hour, Minute and Second)

The words 鐘 zung1 and 鐘頭 zung1 tau4 mean ‘hour’. 鐘 zung1 and 鐘頭 zung1 tau4 are nouns. We use the classifier 個 go3 with them. To indicate duration in hours, we first say the number of hours, then the classifier 個 go3 and then either 鐘 zung1 or 鐘頭 zung1 tau4.

The word 分鐘 fan1 zung1 means ‘minute’. 分鐘 fan1 zung1 is a measurement unit classifier. It is used alone without a noun. To indicate duration in minutes, we simply say the number of minutes and then 分鐘 fan1 zung1.

Another way to indicate duration in minutes is to use the word 字 zi6 (‘word’). In this context, 字 zi6 refers to the numbers we see on a torque clock. Each 字 zi6 on a torque clock represents five minutes. For example, the interval from the number 12 to the number 1 is five minutes long, and the interval from the number 1 to the number 2 is also five minutes long.

To mean ‘5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.’, we can indicate how many 字 zi6 the duration equals to. 字 zi6 is a noun. We use the classifier 個 go3 with 字 zi6. We first say how many 字 zi6, then the classifier 個 go3 and then 字.

The words 秒 miu5 and 秒鐘 miu5 zung1 mean ‘second’. 秒 miu5 and 秒鐘 miu5 zung1 are measurement unit classifiers. They are used alone without a noun. To indicate duration in seconds, we simply say the number of seconds and then either 秒 miu5 or 秒鐘 miu5 zung1.

We say 兩 loeng5 instead of 二 ji6 for ‘two’ because we are indicating a quantity.

The word 半 bun3 means ‘half’. We can put it before the classifier to mean ‘half a …’.

We put 半 bun3 after the classifier to indicate a number and a half. If the classifier has two syllables (i.e., 分鐘 fan1 zung1 and 秒鐘 miu5 zung1), we put 半 bun3 after the first syllable.

When we put 半 bun3 after the classifier and the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), we can optionally omit the number.

The word 幾 gei2 means ‘several’. We can put it before the classifier to mean ‘several …'. 幾 gei2 here usually refers to a quantity between 3 and 9 inclusive.

We can put 幾 gei2 after 10, 20, 30, etc. to mean ’10, 20, 30 something, etc.’. 幾 gei2 here also usually refers to a quantity between 3 and 9 inclusive.

We can also put 幾 gei2 after the classifier to mean ‘… and slightly more’. If the classifier has two syllables (i.e., 分鐘 fan1 zung1 and 秒鐘 miu5 zung1), we put 幾 gei2 after the first syllable. We usually use 幾 gei2 this way with a small number, usually not larger than 10.

When we put 幾 gei2 after the classifier and the number is 一 jat1 (‘one’), we can optionally omit the number.

Notice the meaning changes depending on whether 幾 gei2 is put before or after the classifier.

We can indicate the hours and minutes at the same time. When doing so, we add the word 零 ling4 (‘zero’) between them.

We can optionally omit 零 ling4 if we use 鐘頭 zung1 tau4 in the hours.

We can use the verb 要 jiu3 (‘to need’) to indicate how long an action takes to complete.