Example of the Time in English

When we want to know or tell the time in English, we use some simple and easy-to-learn rules, as well as a vocabulary to talk about the time and its instruments.

Vocabulary

Some of the main words to talk about time and time are the following:

Time - time, also means moment or hour, depending on the context.

Hour - hour

Minute - minute

Second - second

Clock - wall or desk clock

Watch - portable watch

Wrist watch or wristwatch - wristwatch

Pocket watch - pocket watch

Hand - stalk

O'clock - when we speak for only one hour

O'clock sharp - When we talk about an hour on the dot

Half - the average, 30 minutes

Quarter - a quarter, 15 minutes.

How to ask the time

We start by knowing how to ask the time in English. The question is quite simple. What time is it?:

What time is it?

And let's not forget to show courtesy when asking by adding "please":

What time is it, please?

Other less frequent forms are:

Can you tell me the hour, please?

What’s the time?

Can you tell me the time?

How to tell the time

We start by talking about the hours, without minutes. When we say that it is an hour, perhaps even if a couple of minutes are missing or have passed, we will use the expression it’s + hora + o’clock; We use this format in both 12 and 24 hour formats:

It's seven o’clock.

It’s twelve o’clock.

It’s fifteen o’clock.

Sometimes when we talk about the time in 12-hour format, we can tell if it is in the morning, in the afternoon or at night:

It's seven o’clock in the morning.

It's three o’clock in the afternoon.

It’s nine o’clock in the evening.

When we talk about the exact time, the hour on the dot, we use the expression “o’clock sharp”:

It's eight o’clock sharp.

It’s fourteen o’clock sharp.

It's six o’clock sharp in the evening.

When we give the hour and the minutes, we first mention the minutes, then the preposition to or the preposition past and then the time. To use the prepositions, our axis will be the hour, that is, if they are minutes after the hour, we will use past (past, elapsed); if they are minutes left for the hour, we will use to (for). When we give the hour with minutes, o’clock is not used:

It's three minutes past ten (it's three past ten)

It's ten minutes past three (it's ten past three)

It's ten minutes to four (it's ten to four)

It's four minutes to eleven (it's four to eleven)

When we talk about the fifteen minutes, we use the word "quarter" to talk about the past of the hour, as well as those that are missing. For half an hour, we use "half", usually followed by past. Much less used is the expression "and a half". You can also use the expression thirty immediately of the hour, without prepositions:

It's a quarter past five in the afternoon (it's a quarter past five in the afternoon)

It's a quarter to two (they are a quarter for two)

It's half past one in the morning

It's the three and a half

It's nine thirty in the evening

When we talk about a time that has elapsed, for example when we time an event or event, We will talk about that X hours, x minutes and x seconds have elapsed, according to the need for precision we require:

This run last three hours, forty-two minutes and twenty-four seconds.

The fluid last one minute an three seconds to fill the recipient.

I be waiting for you for two hours and a half.

Example of text using the time in English:

I usually wake up at six o’clock in the morning. I dress, and go to the gym at six thirty. At eight o’clock I back home and at quarter past eight I dress my suit, take my breakfast and get ready to go to the office. At nine o’clock sharp I arrive to the office and work until a quarter to twelve. At twelve o’clock go to visit some customers, take a lunch, and be back around of ten minutes past three. The rest of the evening I prepare the reports and stop work at five o’clock. I go to my English course that begins at half past six in the afternoon, and finish at quarter to eigth. I'm in home around nine o’clock. Take my dinner and talk with my cat and we go to sleep near the quarter past eleven.