Also, the international standard notation of time ( ISO 8601) is based on this format.Ī time in the 24-hour clock is written in the form hours:minutes (for example, 01:23), or hours: minutes: seconds (01:23:45). In some parts of the world, it is called railway time. This system is also referred to (only in the United States and the English speaking parts of Canada) as military time or (only in the United Kingdom and now very rarely) as continental time. And I hope you will be more confident and comfortable expressing time in English.The 24-hour clock is a way of telling the time in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours, numbered from 0 to 23. I hope this helps? Time is very important. Last ‘Telling Time in English’ Advice From Jeff For example, “It’s four o’clock ” (4:00). We only say “ o’clock ” at the exact hour. And we do NOT say “It’s eleven-fifteen o’clock” (11:15). For example, we do NOT say “It’s six-thirty o’clock” (6:30). A common mistake that I have noticed with English learners is that they will use the term “ o’clock ” at the wrong time. (The start of a new day or 24 hour cycle.)Īt the beginning of each hour, we use the term “ o’clock ”. You also sometimes hear people say “ midday ”. MidnightĪt hour 12, we say it’s “ noon ”. And “P.M.” stands for “Post Meridiem” (also Latin). But “A.M.” stands for “Ante Meridiem” (Latin). For example, my Brasilian students told me that at the 17th hour, they say “It’s seventeen hundred.” We just say “It’s five P.M. ” Again, there are cultural differences that might make “ A.M. So for example, at hour 14, we say “It’s two P.M. So for hour 7 (in the morning), we say “It’s seven A.M. For hours 0 through 12, we call this “ A.M. But hours 12 to 24 might be a little different than what other cultures are accustomed to. In the 9th hour, we just say “It’s 9:00”. So I encourage you to get comfortable and confident expressing time in quarters and halves.Īs we all know, there are 24 hours in a day. But you will definitely hear people say “It’s quarter after seven”. Again, please remember that it’s okay to say “It’s 7:15”. So at 9:30, we would say it’s “ half past nine” (or half an hour after 9:00). For example, at 5:45, we say it’s “ quarter to six” (or 15 minutes before 6:00). At minute 45, we say it’s “ quarter to ” the next hour. Or when it’s 1:15, we say it’s “ quarter after one”. So, when it’s 7:15, we say it’s “ quarter past seven”. Both “ quarter past ” and “ quarter after ” are equally correct. At minute 15, we say it’s “ quarter past ”. It’s confusing at first, but it does make expressing time easier. We divide our time in quarters and halves. Like we said, there are 60 minutes in an hour. And they should be comfortable using “past, after, and to ” to express time. English learners should be aware of that. But many times, you will hear people say “It’s ten to four”. Remember, it’s always correct to say “It’s 3:50”. Or when it’s 3:50, we say “It’s ten to four” (Four minus ten minutes). For example, when it’s 10:40, we say “It’s twenty to eleven” (Eleven minus twenty minutes). With minutes 31 – 59, we say to (the next hour). Or another example, “It’s twenty after eight”, or 8:20. For example, “It’s ten past three”, or 3:10. With minutes 1 – 29, we say it’s past (or after ) the hour. Telling Time in English: Using ‘Past’ or ‘To’Īs we know, there are 60 minutes in an hour. I’m happy to help! There are a few rules to remember, please: #1. Telling time in English can be confusing.
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