What time is it? | Learn English

Tue, 09/16/2014 – 06:56 — Chris McCarthy

Practice your understanding of time expressions. Do you know how to respond when some asks you,”What’s the time?”, and do you understand when some tells you what time it is. Here are the key phrases you need to know.

o’clock

one o’clock (1:00)
five o’clock (5:00)

Half past (thirty minutes past)

7:30 (half past seven)
10:30 (half past ten)
12:30 (half-past twelve)

Ten-past, Twenty past

In British English, we only use past until half past (30 minutes past). We then start to use to, ‘twenty to eight’ (7:40).

8:10 (ten past eight)
10:20 (twenty past ten)

Quarter-past (15 minutes past)

9:15 (quarter past nine)
7:15 (quarter past seven)
12:15 (quarter past twelve)

Ten to, Twenty to

8:50 (ten to nine)
11:40 (twenty to twelve)

Quarter to

7:45 (quarter to eight)
10:45 (quarter to eleven)

Noon (midday) and Midnight

Noon is 12:00pm (12 o’clock, the start of the afternoon.Also called midday)
Midnight is 12:00am (12 o’clock at night)

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Look at times below and match them to the same time:

• 1) It’s nine o’clock.

  8:45
  9:00

• 2) It’s half past six.

  7:30
  5:30
  6:30

• 3) It’s five past four.

  4:05
  5:04
  4:55

• 4) It’s quarter past 6.

  5:45
  6:15
  5:15

• 5) It’s ten to nine.

  8:50
  9:51
  9:10

• 6) It’s quarter to three.

  2:45
  3:15
  2:57

• 7) It’s five to twelve.

  12:05
  5:12
  11:55

• 8) It’s quarter to eight.

  8:15
  7:45
  7:15

• 9) It’s quarter past nine.

  8:45
  9:15
  8:15

• 10) It’s ten to seven.

  10:07
  6:50
  7:10



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