Time is part of our everyday lives. If we know the time it can stop us from being late and missing important moments.
This is a good video that explains really well how to tell the time
Table of Contents
Ways to Tell the Time in English
There are two common ways of telling the time.
- Formal way to tell the time in English
- Informal way to tell the time in English
Formal Way to Tell the Time in English
Say the hours first and then the minutes.
| 7:00 | It is seven o’ clock |
| 7:45 | It’s seven forty-five |
| 8:00 | It is eight o’ clock |
| 8:15 | It’s eight fifteen |
| 9:00 | It is nine o’ clock |
| 9: 26 | It’s nine twenty six |
| 10:00 | It is ten o’ clock |
| 10:15 | It’s ten fifteen |
| 11:00 | It is eleven o’ clock |
| 11:20 | It is eleven twenty |
| 12:00 | It is two o’ clock |
| 12: 35 | It is twelve fifteen |
| 1:00 | It is one o’ clock |
| 1:15 | It is one fifteen |
| 2:00 | It is two o’ clock |
| 2:25 | It is two twenty five |
| 3:00 | It is three o’ clock |
| 3:50 | It is three Fifty |
| 4:00 | It is four o’ clock |
| 4:15 | It is four fifteen |
| 5:00 | It is five o’ clock |
| 11: 40 | It is eleven Forty |
Popular Ways to Tell the Time in English
Say the minutes first and then the hours.
Use past and the preceding hour for minutes 01 through 30.
| 7:15 | It’s fifteen minutes past seven |
| 7:30 | It’s half past seven |
| 8:15 | It’s quarter past seven |
| 8:30 | It is half past eight |
| 9:20 | It’s twenty minutes past nine |
| 9:30 | It’s half past nine |
| 10: 25 | It’s twenty five minutes past ten |
| 10:30 | It’s half past ten |
| 11:30 | It’s half past eleven |
| 2:15 | It’s quarter past two |
| 2:30 | It is half past two |
Use to and the forthcoming hour for minutes 31 through 59
| 7:45 | It’s fifteen minutes to eight |
| 8:45 | It’s a quarter to nine |
| 1:40 | It’s twenty minutes to two |
| 2:40 | It’s twenty to three |
| 4:45 | It’s a quarter to five |
| 5:45 | It’s a quarter to six |
| 6:45 | It ‘s a quarter to seven |
| 6:50 | It’s ten to seven |
| 7:45 | It is a quarter to eight |
Prepositions used with Time
| at | I will meet you at 7 |
| in | We will see you in an hour |
How to Ask for the Time in English
| Excuse me. What time is it, please? | It’s exactly eight o’clock. |
| Excuse me. Do you have the time, please? | It’s half past twelve. |
| Excuse me. Could you tell me the time, please? | It’s about half past eleven. |
| What time is it | It is ten past ten. |
| Do you know what time is it? | It is 4:20 |
| Do you happen to have the time? | Sure, it is 3:00 |
| What time does the store open? | It opens at 8:00 |
| What time does the bank close? | It closes at 4:00 PM |
| What time does the movie start? | The movie starts at 5:00 |
| What time should we meet? | We should meet at 4:00 |
| When does the supermarket open? | The supermarket opens at 8:00 |
| When does the store open? | The store opens at 9:00 |
Common Collocations and Expressions with Time
A collocation is made up of two or more words that are commonly used together in English. Think of collocations as words that usually go together.
| Spend time | I need to spend time with my family |
| Hard time | I had a hard time solving the math test |
| Time Flies | Time flies when you are having fun |
| Time is money | Don’t forget that time is money |
| On time | You have to be on time for the next meeting |
| In the nick of time | I made it just in the nick of time |
| Free time | I don’t have a lot of free time |
| Waste time | I don’t like wasting time, time is money |
| Make time for | I need to make time for my family and friends |
| Run out of time | We are running out of time |
| Pass the time | Exercising is a good way to pass the time |
| Kill the time | I killed a little bit of time writing on my blog |
| Take your time | Take your time and let me know when you are ready |
| Have a great time | I had a great time last night |
| Take some time off | I need to take some time off, I am tired |
How to Tell the Time in English Worksheets
These are some how to tell the time in English Worksheets
- How to Tell the Time Worksheet (Longman – Worksheet)
- Telling the Time Using Clocks (K5Learning.com)
- Telling the Time (HaveFunTeaching.com)
How to Tell the Time in English Exercises
These are some how to tell the time in English Exercise
Interested in Learning More?
These are some posts that you might be interested in
- How to Order Food in English
- How to Introduce Yourself in English
- How to Make, Accept and Decline Invitations
- How To Make Comparisons in English
- How to Give Directions in English
- How to Go Shopping in English
- How to Describe Jobs in English
- How to Talk about Daily Routines
- How to Talk about Family Members in English
- How to Give Personal Information
