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I've heard the British term "half seven" (or "half nine," "half five", etc) used to tell time. I can't remember though if it means 6:30 or 7:30 (i.e. half an hour before seven, or half past seven)?

I'm American and have never heard another American use the phrase, but apparently it's very common in the UK.

redbmk
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    When I first moved from the UK to the US, I was still getting acclimatized to the American dialect. I remember someone asked me the time and I said "half six", and he responded "you mean three?" However, what goes around comes around. Later I asked him the time, and he said "quarter of four", to which I responded "You mean one?" – Fraser Orr Jul 04 '11 at 04:36
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    Related: What does 'ten of six' mean in regard to time, in which the top answer actually mentions and explains "half six". – RegDwigнt Jul 04 '11 at 14:26
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    I think the difference between the English and German, (et. Al.) makes sense when you think about the difference in the order noun and verb relationships differ. Dutch Pa. "Throw the horse over the fence some hay." might help put it into a larger perspective... –  Oct 06 '13 at 04:31
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    nice, so half seven actually is the same time as halfzeven in dutch or halbseben in german.....taking into account the time difference.. haha. –  Jul 23 '14 at 23:42

2 Answers2

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Half seven is the same as half past seven, with past simply missing. It's 7:30.

Frantisek
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Americans say "half past seven". I've never heard anyone say "half before seven" nor have I heard an American say "half seven". It does lead to odd situations. My German wife has a very good English friend. She learned the difference between "half seven" and "halbsieben" when they both showed up on time yet an hour apart.

MetaEd
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Jon Whitford
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