>Time in English

Time in English. Hours in English. How to answer what time or what time is it?

Here you can find the time in English. Hours in English. How to answer what time or what time is it?

Many people put off knowing the time in English until later, but in fact it is very important, because in colloquial speech we constantly ask each other for time. And yet, to learn all this is quite easy, the main thing is to figure it out once, and then only sometimes repeat it.

So the main question that you can be asked in the meaning of "what time is it" or "what time is it" - What time is it (now)? or What's the time?

To get started, you should know the following:

Before starting, you need to set it's.

Up to half an hour should be used " past", and after half - " to".

Instead of the word "fifteen" should be used quarter(quarter).

Word minutes(minutes) is usually omitted in English.

So let's move on to the examples.

First way:

00.00 (midnight) - midnight, it will also be useful to know - at midnight - at midnight, after midnight - after midnight, far after midnight - in the small hours

00.05 (five minutes past midnight) - it's five past zero am

01.10 (ten past one am) - it's ten past one am

02.15 (fifteen minutes past three in the morning) - it's a quarter past two am

03.20 (twenty past three in the night) - it's twenty past three am

04.25 (twenty five past five in the morning) - it's twenty five past four am

05.30 (half past five in the morning) - it's half past five am

06.35 (thirty-five minutes past seven in the morning, and they say 25 minutes to 7) - it "s twenty five to seven am

07.40 (twenty to eight in the morning) - it "s twenty to eight am

08.45 (fifteen minutes to nine in the morning) - it "s a quarter to nine am

09.50 (ten to ten in the morning) - it "s ten to ten am

10.55 (five to eleven am) - it "s five to eleven am

12.00 (noon) - noon or midday, it will also be useful to know - at noon - at noon, time before noon - forenoon, time in the afternoon - afternoon, afternoon - in the afternoon

12.05 (five minutes of the first day) - it's five past twelve pm

13.10 (ten minutes of the second day) - it "s ten past one pm

14.15 (fifteen minutes of the third day) - it "s a quarter past two pm

15.20 (twenty minutes of the fourth day) - it "s twenty past three pm

16.25 (twenty-five minutes of the fifth day) - it "s twenty five past four pm

17.30 (half past five in the evening) - it's half past five pm

18.35 (thirty-five minutes past seven in the evening, and they say 25 minutes to 7) - it "s twenty five to seven pm

19.40 (twenty minutes to eight in the evening) - it "s twenty to eight pm

20.45 (fifteen minutes to nine in the evening) - it "s a quarter to nine pm

21.50 (ten minutes to ten in the evening) - it "s ten to ten pm

22.55 (five minutes to eleven in the evening) - it "s five to eleven pm

1, 2, 3 ... hours they usually say simply - one, two, three ... o "clock, for example, ten o'clock in the morning - ten o "clock a.m.

Also, instead of a.m. you can use expression - in the morning, and instead of p.m. use in the evening, for example 05.15 (fifteen minutes past six in the morning) - it’s a quarter past five a.m. or it's a quarter past five in the morning.

It should also be mentioned that in English (as well as in Russian) everyone likes to abbreviate, so often time will be used without it's at the beginning, and am, pm and the phrases in the morning, in the evening are used only when it is not clear without it . That is, for example, to the question "When do you go to bed? - When do you go to bed?" The answer is "at ten - at ten" and do not add "evenings", so it's clear...

In American English, the preposition is often used instead of past after. And instead of the preposition to, it is possible to use the prepositions of, before And till.

Second way:

The simplest, just say it like it is, for example,

5.05 - (five zero five) - five oh (zero) five

6.10 - (six ten) - six ten

7.15 - (seven fifteen) - seven fifteen

8.20 - (eight twenty) - eight twenty

9.25 - (nine twenty five) - nine twenty five

10.30 - (ten thirty) - ten thirty

11.35 - (eleven thirty five) - eleven thirty five

12.40 - (twelve forty) - twelve forty

13.45 - (thirteen forty five) - thirteen forty five

16.50 - (sixteen fifty) - sixteen fifty

20.55 - (twenty fifty five) - tventy fifty five

In addition, you need to know the following prepositions and in what cases they are used if you want to be even more specific about time.

And finally, remember the following words:

exactly- exactly; for example, it "s exactly nine (exactly nine hours)
about- approximately; for example, it "s about seven (about seven o'clock)
almost- almost; for example, it "s almost eight (almost eight hours)

Foreign language learners often ask the question: how to ask the time in English? In our article, we will consider in tables how to indicate the time on the clock and correctly answer or construct a question.
In order to indicate an even number of hours, without minutes, numerals are used, which are followed by words such as: a.m. And p.m., where a.m. indicates morning, and, accordingly, p.m. - for an evening or a day, or a word o "clock.
There are markers (words that define the time of day).
Time - time of day
Hours - hours
Minutes - minutes
Seconds - seconds
The first half of the day is indicated using the word “am” - the full name is “ante meridiem”, which means “before noon”, the second half of the day is indicated using the word “pm” - the full name is “post meridiem”, which translates as “ afternoon".

Table of usage of "am" and "pm" with examples and their translation

This match starts at 7 pm	Match starts at 7pm
Classes starts at 10 a.m.	Classes start at 10 am
My uncle works from9 am till 7 pm	My uncle works from 9 am to 7 pm

We express time in English using the words half, past, quarter, to and the prepositions in, at

To answer "What time is it?" - “What time is it?”, you need to know numerals and prepositions. "To" is translated as "before", "past" - "after", "quarter" - "quarter", and the word "half" - "half". When we indicate a time up to half an hour, we resort to the word "past", when after half, then to the word "to".

Table of using prepositions to indicate time in English with examples and their translation

it's seven past six	seven minutes past seven
it's twelve past seven	twelve past eight
it's a quarter past seven	quarter past seven
it's ten past eight	ten minutes past nine
it's half past eleven	half past twelve
it is seventeen to nine	seventeen to nine
it is twenty-four to three	twenty four minutes to three
it is a quarter to four	quarter to four

The prepositions "in" and "at" are used to indicate a specific time, a specific part of the day. Using the preposition "at", we indicate the time in hours, minutes and seconds. It also helps to indicate part of the day: “at night” - “at night”, “at dawn”, but “in the morning” - “in the morning”, “in the afternoon” - “at noon” “in the evening” - “ In the evening".

Table of the use of the prepositions "in" and "at" with examples and their translation

She got back at 6 am	She returned at 6 am
She phoned at 7 pm	She called at 7 in the afternoon
The museum closes at 20 minutes to 7	Museum closes at twenty to seven
Oliver comes from classes at midday	Oliver returns from class at noon
	At night I study English grammar
At midnight I saw the moon	At midnight I saw the moon
She was sleepy in the morning	She was sleepy in the morning
They visited us in the evening	They visited us in the evening

There are words in English that are used to indicate approximate time. It is desirable to learn them:
sharp - precisely
almost - approximately
exactly - exactly
near - about
We offer a table with these words in the sentence and their translation

Mark came exactly at 7 pm	Mac came at exactly 7 pm
The phone called near 7:25 pm	The phone rang about twenty-five minutes past seven
It's almost sunset	almost sunset
It's about 9 am now	Approximately now 9 am
I wait for you at 11:10 sharp	I'm waiting for you exactly at 11:10

Although we are taught to tell the time in school, most have not learned how to do it properly. However, talk about time in the modern world cannot be avoided. The secret is to restructure your thinking and start thinking in English. Many try not to mention the time, or simplify, or avoid using the words quarter, half, past, to.

To avoid possible inaccuracies, sometimes they simply say:

7.05 - seven five or seven oh five
7.10 - seven ten
7.15 - seven fifteen

The reason is that many have not fully figured out how to correctly indicate the time in English. Today we will talk about how native speakers indicate the time, how to use the words to and past, and talk about many other subtleties that will help you speak about time without errors and understand your interlocutors.

The first word you need to remember is o"clock . O "clock- this is an even hour, without minutes:

7.00 - seven o'clock
9.00 - nine o'clock
11.00 - eleven o'clock

Sometimes, especially at the initial stage of learning, they confuse words o "clock And hours. Please note the difference: o "clock- a mark on the clock face, and hours- 60 minutes, indicates duration, duration:

The lesson starts at 6 o "clock. - The lesson starts at six o'clock.

The lesson lasts for two hours. - The lesson lasts two hours.

To indicate the correct time, you need to mentally divide the dial in half and assign names to the halves:

first half hour: past(after)
second half hour: to(before)

Next important word: half half, half an hour. It is important to understand the difference in the perception of time in English, as in English they always say "half after" ( half past ) and called after what time:

2:30 - half past two

10:30 - half past ten - half past ten (half after ten)

12:30 - half past twelve - half past one (half after twelve)

By the way, in colloquial speech the word past often omitted from expression half past:

The number of minutes in the first half of the hour must be indicated using the word past in this format: how much time has passed + after how much:

9:05 - five past nine (five after nine)

9:10 - ten past nine (ten after nine)

9:20 - twenty past nine (twenty after nine)

9:25 - twenty-five past nine (twenty five after nine)

Please note that if the number of minutes is a multiple of five then don't say a word minutes.

Another keyword: (a) quarter - a quarter of an hour. When they indicate the time, they rarely say fifteen, as a rule, replace it with the word (a) quarter :

7:15 - quarter past seven (a quarter after seven)

3:15 - quarter past three

The last mark on the clock with the word past will half past. After half, another countdown begins, not after the last hour, but until the next hour, using the word to(before). The format of the expression is: how much is left + until how much:

5:35 - twenty five to six (twenty five to six)

5:40 - twenty to six (twenty to six)

5:45 - quarter to six (quarter to six)

5:50 - ten to six (ten to six)

5:55 - five to six (five to six)

If you need to specify number of minutes not a multiple of five, the word is used minutes :

Three minutes past four - 4:03

Sixteen minutes past eight

Twenty-two minutes to two- 1:38

Seven minutes to ten - 9:53

When indicating time, the preposition is used

At half past four - at half past four (half after four)

At three o "clock - at three o'clock

At quarter to seven - at fifteen to seven (a quarter to seven)

Twelve o'clock is usually called - twelve o'clock, but you can say:

at none- at noon
at midday- at noon
at midnight- at midnight

In everyday communication, they prefer to call the time according to the usual clock, in which there are twelve hours. Abbreviations are used to distinguish night from day. a.m. And p.m. As soon as they are not interpreted by the students! In fact, both abbreviations come from Latin:

a.m. - ante meridiem- before noon, denotes the time from midnight to noon (night and morning)

p.m. - post meridiem- after noon, time from noon to midnight (afternoon and evening).

These abbreviations can be heard in conversation when it is necessary to clarify what time of day is meant. Also, in American English, () is sometimes replaced past on after, a to on of:

Five past six - five after six - five past seven (five after six)

Twenty to eight - twenty of eight - twenty to eight (twenty to eight)

Time by electronic clock ( digital clock or twenty-four hour clock), in which the time is indicated by numbers from 0 hours to 24 hours, is indicated differently. This system is commonly used in schedules, schedules, programs, official announcements, military orders.

The 24-hour clock system, which we will now discuss, is also called " military time"(" Wartime "), because it is used in the army. It is so common to see these numbers on the airport scoreboard, in the train schedule, it is immediately clear what time is meant, however, "pronunciation" of time on an electronic clock is not an easy task. Watches and minutes are not separated from each other, so we are dealing with a four-digit number.
For comparison, we offer you a table for indicating the time according to the 12-hour system and the 24-hour system:

12 Hour Clock	24 Hour Clock
	0100 Zero one hundred hours
	0200 Zero two hundred hours
	0300 Zero three hundred hours
	0400 Zero four hundred hours
	0500 Zero five hundred hours
	0600 Zero six hundred hours
	0700 Zero seven hundred hours
	0800 Zero hundred eight hours
	0900 Zero nine hundred hours
	1000 ten hundred hours
	1100 Eleven hundred hours
	1200 Twelve hundred hours
	1300 Thirteen hundred hours
	1400 Fourteen hundred hours
	1500 Fifteen hundred hours
	1600 Sixteen hundred hours
	1700 Seventeen hundred hours
	1800 Eighteen hundred hours
	1900 Nineteen hundred hours
	2000 Twenty hundred hours
	2100 Twenty-one hundred hours
	2200 Twenty-two hundred hours
	2300 Twenty-three hundred hours
	2400 Twenty-four hundred hours

As you can see, if the hour is "even", without minutes, then the first digit is called and the words are added hundred hours. If minutes are present, then the four-digit number is divided by two and each is called separately + hours:

0945 - oh nine forty-five hours
1126 - eleven twenty-six hours
1757 - seventeen fifty-seven hours
0130 - zero one thirty hours

In everyday conversation, this notation of time is rarely used, usually the time is indicated in a 12-hour format.

To find out the time, they usually ask:

What time is it?
Have you got the time?
What's the time?
Could you tell me the time, please?

All of the above questions translate the same way: What time is it now? How much time? The last question sounds the most polite: Can you tell me what time it is?

Be aware of the English time rules so you can always answer these questions. I wish you success!

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How many times have I heard from English learners: “Well, what were these Englishmen thinking! Couldn't have done any better!" But really, we Russians have to wade through the thorns of complex rules and exceptions to them. The only thing that can come to our aid is logic. Yes, that's the logic! After all, not everything is so inexplicable. So, one of the stumbling blocks is the answer to such a seemingly simple question: "What time is it?" (What time is it?)

Well, let's try to figure it out. Least of all problems if the hour is even:
It is two o'clock - It's two o'clock now.
It is three o'clock - It's three o'clock now.
It is four o'clock - It's four o'clock now.
It is five o'clock - It's five o'clock now.

But what if we want to clarify the time of day - six in the morning or in the evening?
We proceed as follows:
Instead of o'clock we say
a.m. - from midnight to 12 noon,
p.m. - from noon to 12 noon
It turns out:
It is 1 p.m. - One o'clock.
It is 2 p.m. - Two days.
It is 3 a.m. - Three nights.
It is 6 a.m. - Six in the morning.
But after all, more often we need to say about the hour and minutes, you will say and you will be right. In such a case, we will divide the dial in half (We will divide it, but we will keep both halves for ourselves ).
If the minute hand is in the right half, then in our case we say (look at the image of the clock):
It is 20 minutes past 11.
Let's figure it out:
20 minutes - how many minutes have passed since the even hour,
and 11, this is what an even hour has already passed.
Thus
It is 20 minutes past 11. - (literally) 20 minutes after 11.

More examples:
12:20 - It is 20 minutes past 12.
3:15 - It is 15 past 3.
14:05 - It is 5 minutes past 2.
7:30 - It is half past 7 (half - half).
If the minute hand is in the left half, then we say (look at the clock image again):
It is 5 minutes to 3.
And again, you need to figure it out:
5 minutes - how many minutes do not reach the exact hour,
and 3, this is how even the hour is approaching.
Thus
It is 5 minutes to 3. - (literally) 5 minutes to 3-ex.

More examples:
12:40 - It is 20 minutes to 1.
3:55 - It is 5 to 4.
14:35 - It is 25 minutes to 3.
7:45 - It is 15 minutes to 8.

When we talk about time, the already familiar half (half) and quarter (quarter) can also be useful words.
12:45 - It is quarter to 1.
5:45 - It is quarter to 6.
8:45 - It is quarter to 9.
6:15 - It is quarter past 6.
11:15 - It is quarter past 11.
9:15 - It is quarter past 9.
14:30 - It is half past 2.
5:30 - It is half past 5.
10:30 - It is half past 10.

And one more important point. If we want to say at what time something happened or will happen, then we use the preposition at, not in (although it is in that comes to mind as a translation of the Russian preposition в).
For example:
Tomorrow at 6 I'm going on a date. - Tomorrow at 6 I am having a date.
On Monday at 7:30 I signed up for the astronaut course. - On Monday at 7:30 I joined the spacemen club.
Today at 5:15 we go hunting for crocodiles. - Today at 5:15 we are hunting crocodiles.
At 8 on Tuesday I have a meeting with the president. - On Tuesday at 8 I am meeting the President.

There are more than 200 countries in the modern world, and each country has its own customs and traditions that shape the way of life of people and their habits. Trifles in culture, it would seem, should not affect the understanding of a person at all, but this is not so. We do not notice insignificant things, although they are fraught with many interesting and unusual things. Such trifles include differences in time formats.

In this article, we will figure out what time formats exist, what is their difference? Why is it not possible to introduce common time in the world? How to understand the designations of different formats? What is the definition of time in English?

Time formats

We live in a country where 24 hours of the day are used to indicate time. This format is called 24-hour. But there are also countries that use only 12 hours a day. On the dial, only 12 hours are used.

What's also interesting is that most people who live by the 24-hour clock tend to use only 12 hours more often. For example, we do not say “I will be at 19”, but “I will be at 7” or “I will be at 7 pm”.

Where did the two formats come from? It is clear that 24 hours is the length of a day. But why 12 hours and not 4 or 6? The format, when the day is divided into two parts of 12 hours, came from the Ancient World. In Mesopotamia, Rome and Ancient Egypt, a sundial was used during the day and a water clock at night. Some countries did not change the knowledge gained by their ancestors, but left the 12-hour format.

As for the USA, 2 formats are appropriate there. The most commonly used is 12 hours, but if you say, for example, "20 hours", then you will probably not be understood, since 24 hours is a military format.

Time notation in English

Which countries use 12 and 24 hour format? In English-speaking countries, the 12-hour format is most often used, so abbreviations were originally invented. The designation of time in English is pm (from the Latin Post meridiem - "after noon") and am (from the Latin Ante meridiem - "before noon"). And if the Americans somehow understand you, then another English-speaking world will prove that there is no more than 12 hours. A.m. consumed from 12 noon to 12 noon, and for p.m. it's the other way around. For example, if you want to say 15:00, it would be 3pm and 1am would be 1am. The designation of time in English is just that.

It is rather difficult to memorize these designations without constant repetition. Do you want to know how easy and simple it is to save them in memory? All you have to do is set your phone, tablet or computer (whichever you use most) to twelve hour clock. It usually takes a couple of days to get used to it. Most people who have switched to the 12-hour-a-day format use it that way.

And what about the indication of time in English on the clock? Like ours, the dial also has 12 hours. But there is a difference in electronic media. All electrical devices use twelve hours, but we have 24.

Which countries use 12 and 24 hour format?

As mentioned above, the world is conditionally divided into countries that use twenty-four hours to indicate time, and countries where the 12-hour format is used.

Countries with a 24-hour format include most of the world, for example, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Japan. In Australia, New Zealand and the United States (that is, in countries where the time designation is in English) 12 hours are used in a day. This is proven by the fact that English speakers are not comfortable saying, say, "16 o'clock".

There are also countries where both options are acceptable. These are Greece, Brazil, France, Great Britain, Albania and Turkey.

But what about Canada? As you know, Canada has two official languages ​​- English and French. The country is divided according to the linguistic criterion into areas - provinces where they speak French, and territories with a predominant English language. All of Canada uses the 12-hour format because it was a British colony for a long time, but in the province of Quebec, people are more likely to use the 24-hour format.

Conclusion

So, we figured out that there are two time formats - 12 and 24-hour. Often in English they use 12 hours, for which special abbreviations were invented. The designation of time in English occurs with the help of four letters - am (before noon) and pm (after noon). To better remember where, what and when to use, you need to set the twelve-hour time format on your phone, tablet or computer. If you want to go to a country where this format is used, for example, to the USA, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, you should prepare in advance to avoid misunderstandings.