To sign 'lunch time', you will combine the signs for 'lunch' and 'time'. First, form an 'L' handshape with your dominant hand and tap the tip of your thumb against your chin to sign 'lunch'. Next, hold your non-dominant arm in front of you with the palm facing down. Use your dominant index finger to tap the back of your non-dominant wrist, as if pointing to a watch, to sign 'time'.
Sign 'lunch time', then point to your wrist again with a questioning facial expression (raised eyebrows) to ask if it is time to eat.
Sign 'I', 'hungry', and then 'lunch time' to explain why you are ready for a meal.
Sign 'lunch time', 'you', 'want', and 'what', making sure to furrow your eyebrows on 'what' to indicate an open-ended question.
Sign 'lunch time', then point to your wrist again with a questioning facial expression (raised eyebrows) to ask if it is time to eat.
Sign 'I', 'hungry', and then 'lunch time' to explain why you are ready for a meal.
Sign 'lunch time', 'you', 'want', and 'what', making sure to furrow your eyebrows on 'what' to indicate an open-ended question.
No, you do not need to wear a watch. Tapping the back of the wrist is universally understood as the sign for 'time' regardless of whether a physical watch is present.
While 'eat time' might be understood in context, using the 'L' handshape at the chin specifically means 'lunch' and makes your sentence much clearer and more precise.
A single or double tap on the chin for 'lunch', followed by a double tap on the wrist for 'time', is standard and looks the most natural in conversational signing.
