UNIT 9 ISI NKE ITOLU ELEKERE (Telling Time.)

Objective

At the end of the lesson, learners should be able to: 1. Tell the time. 2. Ask for the time

Introduction

In the days of our great great grandfathers, the Igbos told time by looking at the direction of the sun and listening to the crows of the cock. There are four main divisions within the day. These are morning (ụtụtụ), afternoon (ehihie), evening (uhuruchi or mgbede), and night (abali or anyasị) depending on the dialect. Other times in the day are dawn (isi ụtụtụ), midday (etiti ehihie) midnight (etiti abalị/anyasị). Telling time takes two forms—to (na-aga) and past (gafee).

Lesson Vocabulary

Abali/anyasi		Night
Aka nkeji		Minute hand
Aka ntabi anya		Seconds hand
Akụkọ		Story
Awa		Hour
Awa iri abụọ na anọ		twenty four hours = 1 day
Ehihie		Afternoon
Ekpere		prayer
Ele		Watch
Eteta		Wake up
Etiti abalị		Midnight
Etiti ehihie		Mid- day
Gini na akụ?		What is the time
Ihe onyonyo		Television
Ikpe ekpere		To pray
Isi ụtụtụ		Early in the morning/dawn
izu ike		To rest
Kedụ ihe na-akụ		What is the time
Kpọmkwem		On the dot
Mahadum		University
Mgbede		Everning
Nkeji		Minute
Nkeji iri isii		sixty minutes = 1 hour
Nri abalị		Dinner
Nri ehihie		Lunch
Nri ụtụtụ		Breakfast
Ntabi anya		Seconds
Ntabi anya iri isii		sixty seconds = 1 minute
Nwa akwụkwọ		Student
Ọ kụọla		It has struck
ọba akwụkwọ		Library
Oge ehihie/mgbede/abalị		Afternoon, evening, night (PM)
Oge na Ụbọchị		Periods of the day
Oge ụtụtụ		Morning (AM)
Ọkara		Half
ọrụ		Work
Saa		Wash
ụra		Sleep
Yiri		Wore

Lesson Conversation:

Lesson Monologue

(Chiọma ji elekere ekwu ihe ọ na eme ụbọchị nile) In this passage, Chioma describes what she does every day using the time frames.

Aha m bụ John Obi. M bu nwa akwụkwọ na Mahadum Harvard. M na eteta ụra na elekere isii na ọkara nke ụtụtụ. M na asa eze m, saa ahụ m, yiri akwa m. M ga ekpe ekpere na elekere asaa. O ji nkeji iri abụọ na-aga elekere asatọ, m ga eri nri ụtụtụ. O jiri nkeji iri na ise gafee elekere itolu, m ga-aga ụlọ akwụkwọ m. Na elekere iri na abụọ nke ehihie kpọmkwem, m ga eri nri ehihie. Na elekere atọ nke ehihie, m ga-ezu ike. Na elekere anọ na ọkara, m ga-aga ọba akwụkwọ. Na elekere asaa nke abalị, m ga agba ọsọ. O ji nkeji anọ gafee elekere asatọ nke abalị, m ga eri nri abalị. M ga ele ihe onyonyo. M ga arahụ ụra na elekere iri nke abalị.

Ajuju

1. Kedụ ihe Chiọma na eme na elekere isii nke ụtụtụ? 2. Kedụ oge Chiọma na aga akwụkwọ? 3. Kedụ ọrụ onye na akọ akụkọ a? 4. Kedụ oge Chiọma na eri nri abalị? 5. Kedụ ihe Chiọma na eme tupu ọ rahụ ụra?

Nne na aju Nna ihe na akụ na elekere ya. (Nne is asking Nna what time it is on his clock)

Nne: Nna ndewoo! Nna: Nne ndewoo! kedụ. Nne: biko, kedụ ihe na agụ na elekere gị. Nna: maka gịnị? Nne: maka m chọ ịga ahịa. Nna: ọ kụọla elekere iri na abụọ nke ehihie. Nne: hey, daalụ. Nna: ka emesịa. Ajụjụ 1. Onye na ajụ ihe na akụ na elekere? 2. Onye ka a na ajụ ihe na akụ na elekere? 3. Maka gịnị ka nne ji ajụ ihe na akụ na elekere? 4. Kedụ ihe na akụ na elekere Nna? 5. Onye chọ ịga ahịa?

Lesson Note

Student Notes

ịgwa ihe na-akụ = telling the time

In telling the time, there are two specific things to note. “The minutes to the hour and the minutes past the hour.”

For expressing half past the hour, use “ọkara” (half). That is, say the time number, connect with the conjuction “na”, and then use “ọkara”.

Minutes past the hour is expressed as
O ji nkeji ….. gafee elekere ……………
Minutes to the hour (till) is expressed as o ji nkeji ............. na aga ……..

ịgwa ihe na-akụ = telling the time

Expressing half past an hour use ọkara(half)
Say: ọ kụọla elekere itolu na ọkara

Note: The minute number comes after the “minute” as opposed to the English version.

e.g. nkeji iri = 10 minutes

Note: When talking about the hour, always say “elekere” before the hour number.

e.g. 12:00 PM = elekere iri na abụọ nke ehihie.

Specify the period of the day by saying “nke ụtụtụ” for AM and “nke ehihie,” “nke mgbede,” or “nke abalị” for PM.

Note: For one o’clock the number comes before “elekere”

e.g. otu elekere = 1:00 PM

The hour on the dot is expressed as “Ọ kụọla elekere ---- kpomkwem.“

e.g. Ọ kụọla elekere iri na abụọ nke ehihie kpọmkwem = It is 12 PM on the dot.

Let us look at the following examples:

1. 12:00 = Ọ kụọla elekere iri na abụọ kpọmkwem.
2. 3:30 = Ọ kụọla elekere atọ na ọkara.
3. 11:15 = O ji nkeji iri na ise gafee elekere iri na otu.
4. 8:40 = O ji nkeji iri abụọ na-aga elekere itolu.
5. 2:18 = O ji nkeji iri na asatọ gafee elekere abụọ

Remember, you add AM (nke ụtụtụ) and PM (nke ehihie, nke mgbede, nke abalị). designations after finishing the sentence telling time.
e.g O ji nkeji iri abụọ na aga elekere itolu nke ụtụtụ.

a. 12:00 p.m = Ọ kụọla elekere iri na abuọ nke ehihie (Kpọmkwem) if you decide to say on the dot.
b. 3: 30 a.m = Ọ kụọla elekere atọ na ọkara nke ụtụtụ,
c. 11: 15 p.m = O Ji nkeji iri na ise gafee elekere iri na otu nke abalị.
d. 8 : 40 a.m. = O ji nkeji iri abụọ na aga elekere itolu nke ụtụtụ.
e. 5 : 18 p. m = O ji nkeji iri na asatọ gafee elekere ise nke mgbede.

Grammar Notes

Some time interrogative markers:

“Kedụ, Gini, Olee”. All these words can either mean “What,” “Which,” or “When.” And are used in varying frequency depending on the dialect.
These question markers are used with other time oriented words to ask the question “what”-------?. Examples:

1. Kedụ ihe na-akụ? = What time is it?
2. Gini na-akụ? = What time is it?
3. Olee ihe na-akụ? = What time is it?
An appropriate response to each of these questions would be e.g:

O ji nkeji iri gafee elekere asatọ nke ụtụtụ = It is 10 minutes after 8 o’clock a.m.

One can also use “Kedụ oge or kedụ mgbe” and “Olee oge or olee mgbe” to ask questions in terms of a general time frame (that is days, months, years etc. not just necessarily the time on the clock). The meaning will be apparent from context. Examples:

Question = Kedụ oge ị ga-aga Boston? (What time would you go to Boston?)
Response = M ga-aga Boston na elekere atọ nke ehihie
(I will go to Boston at 3 o’clock in the afternoon)

Question: Kedụ mgbe ị na-aga Boston? (What day are you going to Boston?)
Response = M na-aga Boston na Mọnde (I am going to Boston on Monday)

Question: Olee oge ị na-aga Washington D.C.?
(What month are you going to Washington D.C.?)
Response = M na-aga Washington D.C.na onwa abụọ na afọ
(I am going to Washington D.C. in Feburary)

Question: Kedu mgbe anyi na-abia? (When are we coming?)
Response: Anyi na-abia na ọnwa atọ na afọ. (We are coming in March.)

One can also use the word directly to signify the time-frame. Day (ubọchi), Week (ịzuụka), month (ọnwa), and year (afọ) are useful time-frames to know. For example:

Kedụ ụbọchi ị na-aga Boston? (What day are you going to Boston?)
Kedu afọ ị ga-aga California? (What year would you go to California?)
Kedụ ọnwa a mụrụ gi? (what month were you born?)

Edit note

Lesson Exercise

1. kedụ ihe na - akụ? (What is the time?) 2. kedụ ihe na - akụ? (What is the time?) 3. Complete the spaces below by writing the time in each case 4. Each of the following sentences in English and then draw the hands to the appropriate position on the clocks above. 1. Ọ kụọla elekere atọ nke ehihie kpọmkwem. ....................................................................................................... 2. O ji nkeji ise na – aga elekere anọ nke mgbede ............................................................................................. 3. O ji nkeji iri abụọ na ise gafee elekere ise ...................................................................................... 4. Ọ kụọla elekere abụọ na ọkara......................................................................................... 5. Otu elekere nke ehihie na akụ ................................................................................................................. 6. Ọ kụọla elekere isii kpọmkwem .............................................................................................. 7. O ji otu nkeji na- aga elekere ise.............................................................................. 8. Elekere anọ nke ehihie na - akụ.................................................................................... 9. O ji nkeji iri atọ na ise gafee elekere ise nke isi ụtụtụ ..................................................................................................... 10. O ji nkeji asatọ na – aga otu elekere nke ụtụtụ..................................................................................... 5. What time does the clock say in words. a) 2:50 p.m. ch) 3:30 a.m. e) 6:15 a.m. g) 5:33 p.m. b) 8:00 a.m. d) 4:10 p.m. f) 12:00 noon gb)7:00 p.m. gw) 8:20 p.m gh) 9:45 a.m. 6. Translate this passage: Aha m bu Nneka Obi. M na aga ụlọ akwụkwọ na mahadum Harvard. Ụlọ akwụkwọ anyi na-ebido na elekere asatọ nke ụtụtụ. M na-eri nri ehihie na elekere iri na abuọ nke ehihie. Ụlo akwụkwọ anyi na emecha na abalị. Anyi nwe ọtụtụ ụmụ akwụkwọ na ụlọ akwụkwọ anyi.