On Wednesday 27 February 2002 21.54, Malcolm Hunter wrote:
> On Wednesday 27 Feb 2002 17:49, Stefan Asserh=E4ll wrote:
> > On Wednesday 27 februari 2002 11.33, Rinse de Vries wrote:
> > > In The netherlands, half past 1 =3D half 2  (half before 2)
> > > twentyfive past 1 =3D vijf voor half 2 (five minutes before half
> > > before 2) Then, are these translations correct?
> >
> > No. The same is true in Swedish, where half past 1 =3D halv 1, and
> > twenty five past 1 =3D fem i halv 2. The correct translations are:
>
> I guess people must get really confused when we brits use the slang
> "half one" meaning half past one :=AC).

For the entire first year we were together, my (Swedish) husband thought=20
I was incorrigibly, and inexplicably, an hour late for things.  It took=20
that long for his scandinavian politeness to break down enough to=20
actually mention it, I'd thought I was on time all along.

It seems it's often the very smallest of things that cause the greatest=20
difficulty in the translation :)

--=20
Lauri Watts