Unit 8.1
Telling the time
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Introduction
Form
- Telling the hour + the minutes
6:23 – it’s six twenty-three |
- Telling the minutes + the hour
For minutes 1-30 we use past after the minutes.
For minutes 31-59 we use to after the minutes.
to | 6:40 – it’s twenty to seven |
past | 6:25 – it’s twenty-five past six |
- Telling the time when it’s 15 or 30 min past the hour
a quarter past | 6:15 – it’s a quarter past six |
a quarter to | 6:45- it’s a quarter to seven |
half past | 6:30 – it’s half past six |
- Telling the time when there are no minutes
o’clock | 6:00 – it’s six o’clock |
- Telling the time when its 12 o’clock
it’s twelve o’clock |
it’s noon/midday |
it’s midnight |
- a.m. vs p.m.
We don’t use the 24h clock in English. Instead we use:
a.m. (ante meridiem – before noon) | 6.00 – it’s six a.m. / it’s 6 a.m. |
p.m. (post meridiem – after noon) | 18.00- it’s six p.m. / it’s 6 p.m. |
- Asking for the time
What time is it? |
What is the time? |
What time …? |
When…? |
- Giving the time
It is/ It’s + concrete time | It is three o’clock |
Situation (verb) + at + concrete time | I’ll pick you up at three o’clock |
Example
- It is a quarter past two (2:15)
- The meeting begins at twenty to four (3:40)
- It’s noon. (12 pm)
Use
Exercises
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