New concept
Half towards the next hour
Here's the big trap for English speakers: Finnish counts towards the coming hour.
| Finnish | Time | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| puoli kymmenen | 9:30 | half ten — halfway to ten |
| varttia yli kymmenen | 10:15 | a quarter past ten |
| varttia vaille yksitoista | 10:45 | a quarter to eleven |
| kymmenen yli kaksi | 2:10 | ten past two |
| viittä vaille kolme | 2:55 | five to three |
So puoli kymmenen is 9:30, never 10:30. (British half ten means the opposite — 10:30 — so be careful!)
Yli = past, vaille = to. You'll also hear vartti yli in casual speech.