There are two common ways of telling the time.
1) Say the hour first and then the minutes. (Hour + Minutes)
6:25 – It’s six twenty-five
8:05 – It’s eight O-five (the O is said like the letter O)
9:11 – It’s nine eleven
2:34 – It’s two thirty-four
2) Say the minutes first and then the hour. (Minutes + PAST / TO + Hour)
For minutes 1-30 we use PAST after the minutes.
For minutes 31-59 we use TO after the minutes.
2:35 – It’s twenty-five to three
11:20 – It’s twenty past eleven
4:18 – It’s eighteen past four
8:51 – It’s nine to nine
2:59 – It’s one to three
When it is 15 minutes past the hour we normally say: (a) quarter past
7:15 – It’s (a) quarter past seven
When it is 15 minutes before the hour we normally say: a quarter to
12:45 – It’s (a) quarter to one
When it is 30 minutes past the hour we normally say: half past
3:30 – It’s half past three (but we can also say three-thirty)
O’clock
We use o’clock when there are NO minutes.
10:00 – It’s ten o’clock
5:00 – It’s five o’clock
1:00 – It’s one o’clock
Sometimes it is written as 9 o’clock (the number + o’clock)
12:00
For 12:00 there are four expressions in English.
twelve o’clock
midday = noon
midnight
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?
