An hour and a half

[ob-ivan.livejournal.com]

I'd like to warn you about one slight difference between English (as well as some other European) and Russian the so called "irregular fractions", that is, which have numerator greater than denominator, and thus, are more than a unit. The difference concerns only fractions when used together with a noun that is being counted (examples follow).

The English tradition is to read them following the scheme:
integer part - noun - "and" - fractional part

The main example:
- 90 minutes is said as *subj*: one hour and a half

Sometimes this tradition spreads also to "hundred", "thousand" and other words:
- 2,500 = "two thousand and a half" (i believe this to be rare, though :)

In Russian you never name a noun before the whole fraction is named. That is, one should use the scheme:
integer part - fractional part - noun

The main example:
- 90 минут - это один с половиной час,
or, more likely, "полтора часа".

Remember! The Russian has the special word for 3/2: полторá (declined irregularly; i post the declination if you will be liking me to)

The second example:
- две с половиной тысячи.

Note also, that with "a half" we usually use the "с" pronoun, instrumental case follows. If the fractional part is other than a half, we use the "и" conjunction:

- Две и две трети ноги - это не так уж мало!
- Two legs and two thirds is not what you call "a few"!

update. Find out more in comments!

Comments

[ob-ivan.livejournal.com]

that's what i was afraid of ^___^

maybe, you have some other examples of the scheme? i couldn't think of ones in last twenty minutes...

[ob-ivan.livejournal.com]

so my post could be shortened to something like:

NB that English expression "a {time period} and a half" is translated with "полтора {интервала времени, род.п.}"