Dialogue: Talking About Time
Anna: What time is it?
Ben: It’s a quarter past 8.
Anna: Oh no! I’m late. My class starts at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Ben: Don’t worry. It’s only fifteen minutes past 8. You still have time.
Anna: What about you? When does your meeting begin?
Ben: It starts at half past 10 in the morning.
Anna: That’s good. We can grab coffee later, maybe at 11 o’clock?
Ben: Sounds perfect! See you at 11 a.m.
Expressing time is an essential part of communicating in English. This guide will help you learn how to ask about time, tell time, and talk about different times of the day in a clear and easy way.
1. Asking for the Time
When you want to know the time, you can ask:
What time is it?
Do you have the time?
Both questions are polite and commonly used.
2. Telling the Time
Here are some basic rules for telling time in English:
A. Hours
When the time is exactly on the hour, use “o’clock."
It’s 1 o’clock.
It’s 6 o’clock.
B. Minutes
When the time includes minutes, follow these rules:
Say the hour first, then the minutes.
It’s 3:15. (three fifteen)
It’s 9:30. (nine thirty)
C. Quarter and Half Hours
For 15 and 30 minutes, you can use these expressions:
It’s a quarter past 2. (2:15)
It’s half past 4. (4:30)
It’s a quarter to 6. (5:45)
D. Using “Past” and “To”
Use past for minutes after the hour:
It’s ten past 7. (7:10)
Use to for minutes before the hour:
It’s twenty to 8. (7:40)
3. Talking About Parts of the Day
A. General Times
Morning: 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Afternoon: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Evening: 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Night: 9:00 p.m. to early morning
B. Specific Words for Time
Noon: 12:00 p.m.
Midnight: 12:00 a.m.
C. Expressions of Time
In the morning: I wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning.
In the afternoon: I have lunch at 1 o’clock in the afternoon.
In the evening: I watch TV at 8 o’clock in the evening.
At night: I go to bed at 10 o’clock at night.
4. Using A.M. and P.M.
In English, we divide the 24-hour day into two 12-hour periods:
A.M. (Ante Meridiem): From midnight (12:00 a.m.) to noon (12:00 p.m.)
P.M. (Post Meridiem): From noon (12:00 p.m.) to midnight (12:00 a.m.)
Examples:
It’s 8 a.m. (morning)
It’s 3 p.m. (afternoon)
5. Time-Related Questions and Answers
Here are some common questions and responses:
What time is your meeting?
It’s at 10:30 a.m.
When does the movie start?
It starts at 7 p.m.
What time do you usually wake up?
I wake up at 6 a.m.
By practicing these examples and rules, you’ll become confident in expressing time in English. Keep practicing, and you’ll improve quickly!
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