Telling time is a fundamental skill in English that involves expressing the time of day using hours and minutes. It includes understanding both analog and digital formats, as well as common phrases for different times such as "quarter past," "half past," and "o'clock."
Analog Clocks
3:15 on an analog clock is 'quarter past three.'
An analog clock displays time with two main hands: the hour hand and the minute hand. The hour hand points to the current hour, while the minute hand shows the minutes (each number represents a 5-minute increment). Common expressions include "o'clock" for exact hours, "half past" for 30 minutes, and "quarter past/to" for 15 minutes after or before an hour.
- Exact hour: When the minute hand is on 12, say “[hour] o’clock.” (e.g., 4:00 = Four o’clock)
- Half past: When the minute hand is on 6, say “Half past [hour].” (e.g., 2:30 = Half past two)
- Quarter past: When the minute hand is on 3, say “Quarter past [hour].” (e.g., 5:15 = Quarter past five)
- Quarter to: When the minute hand is on 9, say “Quarter to [next hour].” (e.g., 8:45 = Quarter to nine)
7:30 is said as 'Half past seven' on an analog clock.
9:45 is 'Quarter to ten' in the analog clock convention.
- 1:00 - 1:59 – Use “o’clock” for 1:00, then “past” for minutes up to 30, and “to” for minutes after 30 (e.g., 1:10 = Ten past one, 1:50 = Ten to two).
Digital Time
A digital clock shows 4:20 as '04:20'.
A digital clock shows time numerically, usually in a 24-hour or 12-hour format. Time is read straightforwardly by stating the numbers shown: hour first, then minutes. For example, “04:20” is said as “four twenty.”
- Read straight across: 08:05 = “Eight oh-five,” 14:30 = “Fourteen thirty” (24-hour), 02:45 = “Two forty-five.”
12:00 is 'Twelve o’clock' (or Noon for PM), and 00:00 is 'Midnight.'
Quarter past five is 05:15 on a digital clock.
Common Time Expressions
Common time expressions include 'O’clock', 'Half past', 'Quarter past', and 'Quarter to'.
Besides the basic formulas, English uses some flexible expressions for everyday conversation:
- Around/About: Used for approximate times (e.g., “around six" means approximately 6:00).
- Early/Late: Refers to times earlier or later than usual (e.g., “early morning”).
- Midnight/Noon: Midnight is 12:00 AM, and noon is 12:00 PM.
You would say 'Around three' for approximately 3:00.
'Quarter past' and 'Quarter to' are used for quarter hours.
A.M. and P.M.
A.M. stands for Ante Meridiem (before noon) and P.M. stands for Post Meridiem (after noon).
A.M. and P.M. are used to distinguish between morning and afternoon/evening times in a 12-hour clock system:
- A.M. (from Latin ante meridiem): Midnight to just before noon (12:00 AM to 11:59 AM).
- P.M. (from Latin post meridiem): Noon to just before midnight (12:00 PM to 11:59 PM).
7:00 P.M. is in the evening.
The P.M. period starts at 12:00 Noon.
Telling time in English requires understanding both the analog and digital systems, as well as common expressions and the distinction between A.M. and P.M.
- Analog clocks use terms like “o’clock,” “half past,” and “quarter past/to.”
- Digital time is read numerically, and A.M./P.M. distinguish morning from evening hours.
- Mastery of these concepts helps in daily communication and scheduling.