English time vocabulary guide that covers hours, minutes, common phrases, and expressions for telling time accurately.
Telling time is an essential everyday skill in English. This guide covers the vocabulary you need to talk about hours, minutes, and common time expressions.
Numbers for Hours and Minutes
To tell time, you need to know the numbers from 1 to 59. Hours are usually from 1 to 12, and minutes go from 1 to 59.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| one / ones | one / ones | There is one apple. | Hay una manzana. |
| two / twos | two / twos | I have two books. | Tengo dos libros. |
| three / threes | three / threes | She bought three pens. | Ella compró tres bolígrafos. |
| four / fours | four / fours | We need four chairs. | Necesitamos cuatro sillas. |
| five / fives | five / fives | He found five coins. | Él encontró cinco monedas. |
| six / sixes | six / sixes | There are six windows. | Hay seis ventanas. |
| seven / sevens | seven / sevens | I saw seven birds. | Vi siete pájaros. |
| eight / eights | eight / eights | She has eight keys. | Ella tiene ocho llaves. |
| nine / nines | nine / nines | We need nine cups. | Necesitamos nueve tazas. |
| ten / tens | ten / tens | I read ten pages. | Leí diez páginas. |
Ella compró ___ bolígrafos.
Which English number fits this sentence? 'She bought ___ pens.'
three
The correct number is 'three' as it matches the quantity in both the English and Spanish sentences ('Ella compró tres bolígrafos').
Hours
When telling time, use o’clock for exact hours. For example, “three o’clock” means 3:00.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| hour / hours | hour / hours | An hour has 60 minutes. | Una hora tiene 60 minutos. |
| o’clock | o’clock | It’s five o’clock. | Son las cinco en punto. |
| midnight | midnight | Midnight is 12:00 AM. | La medianoche es a las 12:00 AM. |
| noon | noon | Noon is 12:00 PM. | El mediodía es a las 12:00 PM. |
| morning | morning | I wake up in the morning. | Me despierto por la mañana. |
| afternoon | afternoon | We meet in the afternoon. | Nos encontramos por la tarde. |
| evening | evening | She studies in the evening. | Ella estudia por la noche. |
| night | night | They sleep at night. | Ellos duermen de noche. |
Minutes
Use minutes to specify the exact time. For example, “three ten” means 3:10.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| minute / minutes | minute / minutes | A minute is 60 seconds. | Un minuto tiene 60 segundos. |
| past | past | It’s ten past three. | Son las tres y diez. |
| to | to | It’s quarter to four. | Son las cuatro menos cuarto. |
| quarter | quarter | A quarter is 15 minutes. | Un cuarto son 15 minutos. |
| half | half | Half past two means 2:30. | Dos y media son las 2:30. |
Common Time Phrases
These phrases help you describe time naturally in conversation.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| early | early | I arrived early. | Llegué temprano. |
| late | late | She is late for class. | Ella llega tarde a la clase. |
| on time | on time | The train is on time. | El tren llega a tiempo. |
| ahead of time | ahead of time | Finish the work ahead of time. | Termina el trabajo antes de tiempo. |
| behind schedule | behind schedule | We are behind schedule. | Estamos retrasados. |
Asking and Answering About Time
These question and answer patterns are used to ask about and tell the time.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| What time is it? | What time is it? | What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? |
| When does ... start? | When does ... start? | When does the meeting start? | ¿Cuándo empieza la reunión? |
| It’s ... o’clock. | It’s ... o’clock. | It’s six o’clock. | Son las seis en punto. |
| It’s ... past ... | It’s ... past ... | It’s twenty past four. | Son las cuatro y veinte. |
| It’s ... to ... | It’s ... to ... | It’s ten to eight. | Son las ocho menos diez. |
Special Cases: 12-Hour vs. 24-Hour
English often uses a 12-hour clock with AM (morning) and PM (afternoon/evening). The 24-hour clock is common in schedules.
| English Singular/Plural | English Translation | Example | Example (Translated) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AM | AM (morning) | AM is early morning. | Las 7 AM son temprano en la mañana. |
| PM | PM (afternoon/evening) | PM is evening. | Las 7 PM son la noche. |
| -hour clock | -hour clock | :00 is 7 PM. | Las 19:00 son las 7 PM. |
How do you describe '19:00' in 12-hour clock format?
7 PM
'19:00' in 24-hour time converts to '7 PM' in 12-hour format, indicating evening.
Flashcards (1 of 36)
- Example: There is one apple.
- Example (Translated): Hay una manzana.
- English Singular/Plural: one / ones
- English Translation: one / ones
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
