Kihā́mmic/Date and time

This appendix shows how to say dates and times.

"What date is it?"
To simply say what the date is, i.e. to answer the question "What date is it?", the appropriate ordinal number in the nominative is placed before the month in the genitive case. If desired the year is then placed afterwards, which is simply a cardinal number, also in the genitive case. A few examples are given below:

What date is it?: Tómû súi lû́ zóklû?
 * 9th December 2010: Lố nóvamô fávenôkī dočatalezī́ (Lố 9ô fávenôkī 2010)
 * 11th January 1957: Lố ezazúnamô kāžánôkī talanovkhûlpreikezazén (Lố 11ô kāžánôkī 1957)
 * 27th August 1883: Lố dočezazénamô Þélknôk talokdakhûlokdezatṓk (Lố 27ô Þélknôkī 1883)

"When?"
To say "on" a date, that is to answer the question "When?" or "On what date?", the preposition "yû́n" is followed by the desired date in the prepositional case (that is only the article and ordinal number). See the examples below:

On what date?: Yû́n tóme zókle?
 * On 9th December 2010: Yû́n lé nóvame fávenôkī dočatalezī́ (Yû́n lé 9e fávenôkī 2010)
 * On 11th January 1957: Yû́n lé ezazúname kāžánôkī talanovkhûlpreikezazén (Yû́n lé 11e kāžánôkī 1957)
 * On 27th August 1883: Yû́n lé dočezazéname Þélknôk talokdakhûlokdezatṓk (Yû́n lé 27e Þélknôkī 1883)

"What time is it?"
To give the time, answering the question "What time is it?", the number of hours is followed by "é" [and] and the number of minutes. The twenty-four hour clock is always used. The words "ôlá" [hour] and "bə́ts" [minute] following the appropriate numbers are optional. Some examples are shown below:

What time is it?: Tómû sói lố džā́z?
 * One o'clock (01:00): Zún ôlá (1ô)
 * Seven o'clock (07:00): Zén ôlī́ (7ô)
 * Ten o'clock (10:00): Ezá ôlámī (10ô)
 * Half past two (14:30): Ezakûrá ôlámī é tōkezá bətsámī (14ô30b)
 * Quarter to four (15:45): Ezapréik ôlámī é kûrezapréik bətsámī (15ô45b)
 * Twenty-three minutes to eight (19:37): Ezanóv ôlámī é tōkezazén bətsámī (19ô37b)

"Táin" [second] may also be added when desired, in this case rather than using "é" in the first instance "ī́" is used, as in all lists (this is in fact the equivalent of English using a comma in a list).

"When?"
To answer the question "When?" or "What time?" the preposition "yán" is followed by the cardinal numbers in the prepositional case. See below for examples:

What time?: Yán tóme džā́ze?
 * At ten o'clock (At 10:00): Yán ezé ôlámī (Yán 10ô)
 * At half past two (At 14:30): Yán ezakûré ôlámī é tōkezé bətsámī (Yán 14ô30b)
 * At twenty-three minutes to eight (At 19:37): Yán ezanóve ôlámī é tōkezazéne bətsámī (Yán 19ô37b)