How to tell the time in English

Telling the time means to say what the time is.

Asking The Time: ( How do we ask the time?)

We can use some questions for asking the time which are given below;

Questions:

• What time is it?
• What is the time?
• Do you have the time?
• Do you know what time is it?
• Can you tell me what time is it, please?
• Could you tell me the time, please?
• Do you happen to have the time?
• Have you got the right time?
• What time do you make it?

Answering the questions: ( How do we say what time is ? )

Examples:

• It’s exactly or about or almost or just gone …
• Sure, it is 3:00
• Sorry, I am not wearing a watch.
• 2:30
• It is 4:20
• It is ten past ten.
• The time is 8 o’clock.

At Full Hours: ( O’clock /… :00)

O’clock ‘ is used at full hours. It means there are no minutes.

FORM OF THE ANSWER:

It is ………. o’clock.

Examples:

• It is eleven o’clock. ( 11:00 )
• It is three o’clock (03:00 )
• It is five o’clock.( 05:00 )

Note: In English, time is expressed with 12-hour time zones.

At Half Hours: ( 30 minutes passed the hour)

‘Half past’ expression is used when clock shows half hours.

FORM OF THE ANSWER:

It is half past……. .

Examples:

• It is half past two. ( 02:30 )
• It is half past six. ( 06:30 )
• It is half past one.( 01:30 )

At Quarter Hours: ( 15 minutes after the hour or 15 minutes before the hour)

‘a quarter to’ and ‘a quarter past’ expressions are used when clock shows quarter hours.

FORMS OF THE ANSWER:    

It is (a) quarter past ………. . ( 15 minutes after the hour )

It is(a) quarter to ………  .      ( 15 minutes before the hour)

Examples:

• It is (a) quarter past  nine. ( 9:15 )
• It is (a) quarter to five. ( 04:45 )
• It is (a)  quarter past eight. ( 08:15 )

At Other Hours: ( Past / To)

We use PAST for ( 01 minute to 30 minutes )

We use TO for ( 31 to 59 minutes )

FORM OF THE ANSWER : 

It is …….. minutes  past / to ……..

Examples:

• It is 4 minutes to eight. ( 07:56 ) ( less formal: It is seven fifty-six )
• It is seven minutes past eleven. ( 11: 07 ) ( less formal: It is eleven O-seven ) (0 is pronounced like the letter”O” not “zero.”)
• It is nine minutes to three. ( 2:51) (less formal: It is fifty-one)

Notes:

1. For multiplies of 5, we leave out the word ‘minutes’

Examples:

• It is five to ten. ( 09:55 )
• It is twenty past eight. ( 08:20 )
• Is is twenty five to seven. ( 06:35 )

2. We can say also

‘a guarter past…..’ instead of  ‘fifteen past … ( 15 minutes past….)’

‘a quarter to….’ instead of  ‘fifteen to…. ( 15 minutes to….)’

‘half past…..’ instead of  ‘thirty  past….( 30 minutes past….)’

Examples:

• It is a guarter to four = It is fifteen to four ( 03:45 )
• It is a guater past nine = It is fifteen past nine ( 09:15 )
• It is half past eleven = It is thirty past eleven  ( 11:30 )

3. In American English;

‘After’ is used instead of ‘Past’

‘Before’ is used instead of ‘To’

Examples:

• It is ten after two. ( 02:10 )
• It is a quater before five ( 04:45 )
• It is eight before six. ( 05:52 )

There are two common ways of telling the time. We usually say the minutes first and then The hours. However, We also say the hours first and then the minutes (Less formal).

Examples:

• ( 05:10 ) It is ten past five. ( minutes + PAST / TO + hours )
• ( 05: 10 ) It is five ten.  ( hours + minutes ) ( less formal )

Note 1: When  saying the time ‘ the hours first and then the minutes’, 0 is pronounced like the letter”O” not “zero.”

xamples:

• ( 06:04 ) It is six 0-four = It is four minutes past six
• ( 07:09) It is seven 0-nine = It is nine minutes past to seven

Note 2: A o’clock has two hands. The short hand shows hours and the long hand shows minutes.

A.M ( AM/ a.m / am ) and P.M ( PM/ p.m / pm )

Since the 24-hour time zone is not used in English ( time is expressed with 12-hour time zones in english) the hours must be divided into two;

‘before noon’  and ‘after noon’.

For the hours before noon ( 00:01 – 12:00),  we use a.m. (Ante meridiem)

For the hours after noon ( 12:01 -24:00 ), we use p.m. (Post meridiem)

Examples:

• 02:00 am = It is two o’clock before noon
• 02:00 pm = It is two o’clock after noon
• ( 2 am, 08:00 pm, 6 PM, 3 A.M, etc… )

Note: “a.m.” and “p.m.” markers can not be used with “past / to”

The Times in English

We can use dot or colon as a seperator between hours and minutes.

Examples:

• 10.30 or 10:30

We use the structure “AT” with time when giving the time of a specific event.

Examples:

• The train arrives at midday. ( 12:00 )
• The plane will take off at a quarter past six ( 06:15 )
• The show started at 3 o’clock.
• The boss called me at 8 a.m.
• He works from 9 am to 6 pm.