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Current Date and Time in Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Table of contents
- Current Date and Time in Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Video The 24-hour clock and how it works
- Daylight Saving Time in Amsterdam
- Telling the time in Dutch
Right now in Amsterdam it is:
But note that in the Netherlands, as is the rest of Europe, the 24-hour clock 1 is commonly used for official timetables, announcements, movie listings, et cetera.
This means that between the local time of 1 PM and 11:59 PM, times will be listed as 13:00 through 23:59.
In the Netherlands listed times therefore do not include the indicators ‘AM’ or ‘PM’.
In writing times are expressed in a 24-hour format.
11 am = 11:00
12 noon = 12:00
1 pm = 13:00
11 pm = 23:00
12 midnight = 24:00
In everyday conversations, however, most people will say
11 am = 11 uur (o’clock)
12 noon = 12 uur
1 pm = 1 uur
11 pm = 11 uur
12 midnight = Middernacht
The Netherlands is on Central European Time (CET), which is GMT +1 hour.
It is 6 hours ahead of the U.S. Eastern timezone, and 9 hours ahead of the U.S. Pacific timezone.2
Example:
• When it is 6 AM in New York (and thus 3 AM in Los Angeles), it is 12 noon in Amsterdam.
• At 9 PM in New York (6 PM in Los Angeles), it is 3 AM the next day in Amsterdam.
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Video The 24-hour clock and how it works
Daylight Saving Time in Amsterdam
The time in Amsterdam changes on different days than they do in the USA, England, and several other countries.
Daylight Saving Time starts at 3:00 a.m on the last Sunday in March, and ends at 3:00 a.m on the last Sunday in October. (Remember: the clock springs forward in the spring, and falls backward in the fall).
Telling the time in Dutch
Trivia fact: the Dutch for Telling time is klokkijken — literally: clock watching.
The Dutch have an amusing way of telling time, at least when it comes to reporting the time anywhere between a quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour.
The most potentially damaging problem is on the half hour. While “half eight” means 8:30 in England, to the Dutch it means 7:30. […]
When relating minutes before or after the half hour — that is between :15 and :45 — the time twisting increases. In such instances, the minutes are related to the half hour:
7:20 is tien voor half acht, ten before 7:30 — or for beginners, ten minutes before half an hour before 8:00.
8:35 is vijf over half negen, five past half-past eight or or for beginners, five minutes past half an hours before 9:00.
The 24-hour clock is commonly used in written form for train schedules and the like. For 17:20, vijf uur twintig or tien voor half zes are uttered instead of tien voor half achttien.
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Anton Hein
Anton and Janet Hein live and work in Amsterdam. Anton was born on a houseboat in the center of Amsterdam, right across from the iconic Westertoren, and what later became the Anne Frank House museum. Having lived in nearly every district since then, he knows the city like his own back pocket. Janet was born in England and raised in Ireland before moving to Amsterdam 41 years ago. Even to date she brings an expat’s perspective to the DutchAmsterdam website.
Notes:
- The 24-hour clock is sometimes referred to as military time ↩
- Exceptions occur in the week or so around Daylight Saving Time switches. ↩
Category: Visitors Guide | Related to: Practical Information
Last updated CET (Central European Time)
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