HOW TO TELL THE TIME IN ENGLISH (Intermediate) (EXERCISE I95E40)

In English we tell the time using a clock divided into 12 hours (not 24). For example: we say:  “It is 8 o’clock.” If we need to clarify the time of day further we say: “It is 8 a.m. (in the morning) or 8 p.m. (in the evening).” Sometimes from the context we can verify what period of the day we are talking about. For example: “I will meet you at 8 o’clock for breakfast, or I will meet you at 8 o’clock for dinner.” In this case we do not need to say; “In the morning or in the evening,” as the type of meal indicates the period of day we are talking about.

When referring to minutes, in English we use "past" to say times after the hour until half past, or 30 minutes past the hour. When the number of minutes is greater than 30, instead of saying the number of minutes after the hour, you can say the number of minutes before the next hour, or the number of minutes to the hour. When the time is fifteen minutes past the hour, or fifteen minutes to the hour, we can say it is a quarter past or a quarter to the hour.

	o'clock
quarter to		quarter past
	half past

ASKING THE TIME

Here are some phrases you can use when you want to know the time:

What's the time?

What time is it?

Have you got the right time?

What time do you make it?

TELLING THE TIME

To tell someone what the time is, we can say "The time is..." or, more usually, "It's...". Here

is a typical dialogue:

Question:	What's the time, please?
Answer:	It's three o'clock.

The chart  shows you two different ways to tell someone what the time is.

	It's...	It's...
3.00	three o'clock	three
3.02	just gone three o'clock	three oh two
3.03	three minutes past three	three oh three
3.05	five past three	three oh five
3.09	nine minutes past three	three oh nine
3.10	ten past three	three ten
3.15	a quarter past three	three fifteen
3.20	twenty past three	three twenty
3.21	twenty-one minutes past three	three twenty-one
3.25	twenty-five past three	three twenty-five
3.30	half past three	three thirty
3.35	twenty-five to four	three thirty-five
3.40	twenty to four	three forty
3.45	a quarter to four	three forty-five
3.50	ten to four	three fifty
3.55	five to four	three fifty-five
3.57	three minutes to four	three fifty-seven
3.58	nearly four c'clock	three fifty-eight
4.00	four o'clock	four

EXERCISE 1

Read the short description of what I usually do during the day and note the times mentioned on the clocks below:

I usually get up at a quarter past seven. I have breakfast at eight o'clock and then take the bus to work at half past eight. I usually arrive at work at a quarter to nine. Sometimes, the bus is late and I arrive at about nine. My morning is usually pretty busy and I like taking a coffee break at twenty to eleven if possible. I then work to lunchtime at noon. In the afternoon, I usually have another break at three fifteen. I usually finish work at a quarter to five and arrive home around six in the evening. At night, I usually go to bed at eleven o'clock.

              

EXERCISE 2

Write a description of what you did yesterday (stating the times, you did things), and then note the times mentioned, on the clocks below:

ANSWERS

HOW TO TELL THE TIME IN ENGLISH

Possible Answer Exercise 2:

This morning I woke at 5:45 am (a quarter to six or five forty-five). At 6 am (six o’clock) I got up and had a shower. At 6:15 (a quarter past six or six fifteen), I had breakfast. After breakfast, I brushed my teeth, kissed my still sleeping wife good-bye, put on my coat and left home. As I was walking out the front door, I looked at the clock on the kitchen wall; it read 7:15 am (a quarter past seven or seven fifteen). I then got into my car and drove to the office. I arrived at the office at 7:50 am, (seven fifty or ten to eight), and at 8 am (eight o’clock) I turned on my computer and began working. At 10 am (ten o’clock I stopped for a short break but by 10:15 (a quarter past ten or ten fifteen) I was back at my deck working hard. At mid-day (12 o’clock), I stopped work and went out to lunch with my work colleagues. We returned to the office at 1 pm (one o’clock). At 2:27pm (twenty-seven minutes past two or two twenty seven) my boss called me to an urgent meeting. The meeting finished at 5:30 pm (half past five or five thirty) and upon returning to my desk, I turned off my computer. I then headed home. The clock on the town hall tower was reading 6:03 pm (three minutes past six or six oh three) when I drove past it. I arrived home at 6:30 pm (half past six or six thirty). I ate dinner with my wife and then we sat in the living room watching television. At 9:15pm (a quarter past nine or nine fifteen) as we were both feeling tired, we decided to go to bed. At 9:45 pm (a quarter to ten or nine forty-five) we put our books aside and after kissing my wife good night, I turned off the light.

 TO PRINT