How to Tell the Time in English

Quick Answer: To tell the time in English, say the hour plus o'clock for full hours (three o'clock), use past for minutes after the hour (ten past three) and to for minutes before the next hour (ten to four). The simpler digital way just reads the numbers: three ten, three fifty.

Key takeaways

• Use o'clock only for exact hours: seven o'clock, never seven fifteen o'clock.
• From :01 to :30 use past (twenty past three); from :31 to :59 use to (twenty to four).
• Half past three is 3:30. In casual British English, half three also means 3:30, not 2:30.
• Do you have the time? asks the hour; Do you have time? asks if you are free.
• Use at with clock times (at 7:30) and do not combine a.m. or p.m. with o'clock.
• Noon or midday is 12:00 in the day; midnight is 12:00 at night.

How do you ask the time in English?

• What time is it? - the standard question.
• What's the time? - common in British English.
• Do you know what time it is? - polite, good for strangers.
• Have you got the time? - British, informal.
• What time does the film start? - asking about an event.

Be careful: "Do you have time?" means "Are you free?", not "What time is it?". Add the: "Do you have the time?"

When do you use o'clock?

Use o'clock only for exact hours.

• 1:00 - one o'clock
• 7:00 - seven o'clock
• 12:00 - twelve o'clock (also noon or midday in the day, midnight at night)

Do not use o'clock with minutes. "Seven fifteen o'clock" is wrong.

How do you use past and to?

Think of the clock as two halves. On the right side, use past. On the left side, use to.

Time	Traditional	Digital
3:05	five past three	three oh five
3:10	ten past three	three ten
3:15	(a) quarter past three	three fifteen
3:20	twenty past three	three twenty
3:30	half past three	three thirty
3:40	twenty to four	three forty
3:45	(a) quarter to four	three forty-five
3:50	ten to four	three fifty
3:55	five to four	three fifty-five

Notes:

• For 5, 10, 20 and 25 minutes, you do not need the word "minutes". For other numbers you do: "seven minutes past six", "eighteen minutes to nine".
• American English often uses after instead of past (ten after three) and of or till instead of to (a quarter of four). These are informal.
• In casual British English, half three means 3:30, not 2:30. This confuses many learners, including some Americans.

The digital way

The digital system is easy: say the hour, then the minutes.

• 9:25 - nine twenty-five
• 11:07 - eleven oh seven (say "oh" for zero)
• 6:00 - six o'clock or just six

This system is common in announcements, timetables and quick conversation. If you need help with the numbers, read numbers in English.

What do a.m. and p.m. mean?

Expression	Meaning
a.m.	from midnight to noon
p.m.	from noon to midnight
in the morning	about 5 a.m. to 12 p.m.
in the afternoon	about 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
in the evening	about 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
at night	late evening and night

Examples:

• "My flight leaves at 6 a.m." or "at six in the morning".
• "The meeting is at 2 p.m." or "at two in the afternoon".

Do not use a.m. or p.m. together with o'clock: say "eight o'clock" or "8 a.m.", not "8 o'clock a.m.".

The 24-hour clock

Timetables, airports and the military often use the 24-hour clock. In everyday speech, most native English speakers convert it:

• 18:30 on a ticket - people say "six thirty" or "half past six (in the evening)".
• In official announcements you may hear "eighteen thirty".

Prepositions with time

• at + a specific time: "at 7:30", "at noon", "at midnight".
• around / about for approximate time: "around eight".
• from ... to / until: "from nine to five".
• by = not later than: "Please arrive by 10."

For the full picture, read prepositions of time: in, on, at.

Useful phrases

• "It's almost nine." (a little before 9)
• "It's just after six." (a little after 6)
• "It's six o'clock on the dot." (exactly six)
• "I'm running late." (I will arrive late)
• "We're early / on time / late."
• "What time shall we meet?" - "How about half past seven?"

What mistakes do learners make with time?

1. "It's 6 and 15." - correct: It's six fifteen or quarter past six.
2. "It's 4 hours." - correct: It's four o'clock.
3. "Half past four" for 3:30 - correct: half past three.
4. "In 5 o'clock" - correct: at five o'clock.
5. "Do you have time?" when asking the hour - correct: Do you have the time?

Practice quiz

Write each time in the traditional way.

1. 8:15
2. 10:30
3. 1:45
4. 6:50
5. 12:00 at night

Answers: 1. (a) quarter past eight 2. half past ten 3. (a) quarter to two 4. ten to seven 5. midnight (or twelve o'clock)

Practicing a little every day is the best way to make time expressions automatic. Try our 15-minute daily English study routine, or jump straight into short guided lessons when you start the free LearnLingo course.

People Also Ask

How do you ask the time in English?

The most common question is What time is it? A more polite version for strangers is Excuse me, do you know what time it is? or Have you got the time?

What does half past mean?

Half past means thirty minutes after the hour. Half past three is 3:30. In casual British English people sometimes just say half three.

When do you use past and to?

Use past for minutes 1 to 30 after the hour, like ten past six for 6:10. Use to for minutes 31 to 59, counting toward the next hour, like twenty to seven for 6:40.

What is the difference between a.m. and p.m.?

A.m. is from midnight to noon, and p.m. is from noon to midnight. So 7 a.m. is in the morning and 7 p.m. is in the evening.

Related Reading

• Numbers in English: Counting, Ordinals and Prices
• Days, Months and Seasons in English
• Prepositions of Time: In, On, At
• A 15-Minute Daily English Study Routine