Telling time is one of those everyday skills that instantly makes communication smoother.
Mastering this topic can help you a lot when you’re scheduling a meeting, catching a flight, or chatting with friends.
Phrases like “quarter to,” “half past,” or using AM and PM can feel confusing at first, but once you understand the basics, it becomes surprisingly simple!
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to tell time in English with clear explanations and practical examples you can use right away.
How to Use AM and PM in English?
In English, AM and PM are used to distinguish times on a 12-hour clock.
- AM (Ante Meridiem) means “before midday” and covers 12:00 midnight to 11:59 in the morning.
- PM (Post Meridiem) means “after midday” and covers 12:00 noon to 11:59 at night.
People use AM and PM to avoid confusion, especially in schedules, appointments, and daily routines.
Examples:
- I wake up at 6:30 AM every day.
- Our meeting is scheduled for 2:00 PM.
- The flight departs at 11:45 PM.
- Breakfast is usually around 8:00 AM.
- The movie starts at 7:15 PM.
How to Tell the Exact Time in English?
To tell the exact time, we simply use the hour and minutes directly. You can use numbers (“six fifteen”) or phrases like “o’clock,” “quarter,” or “half.”
Examples:
- It’s 3:00 → three o’clock.
- It’s 4:30 → four thirty or half past four.
- It’s 7:45 → seven forty-five or a quarter to eight.
- It’s 9:10 → nine ten.
- It’s 12:15 → twelve fifteen or a quarter past twelve.
How to Tell an Approximate Time in English?
When the time is not exact, we use expressions like about, around, almost, just after, or a little past.
Examples:
- It’s about five.
- She arrived around seven thirty.
- It’s almost noon.
- The class starts just after three.
- It’s a little past ten.
How to Read a Clock in English?
To read an analog (traditional) clock, you describe the position of the hour and minute hands using terms like past, to, and specific minutes.
Remember, the big hand represents minutes and the small hand represents hours.
Examples:
- If the big hand is on 12 and the small hand is on 6:
→ It’s six o’clock. - If the big hand is on 6 and the small hand is on 9:
→ It’s half past nine. - If the big hand is on 3 and the small hand is on 2:
→ It’s a quarter past two. - If the big hand is on 9 and the small hand is on 11:
→ It’s a quarter to eleven. - If the big hand is on 2 and the small hand is on 4:
→ It’s four ten.
How to Explain the Time of a Day in English?
We often refer to general periods instead of exact hours. These expressions help describe when something happens during the day.
Common time-of-day phrases:
- Early morning: 5 AM – 8 AM
- Late morning: 9 AM – 11 AM
- Afternoon: 12 PM – 5 PM
- Evening: 5 PM – 9 PM
- Night: 9 PM – 12 AM
- Midnight and dawn are also used.
Examples:
- I go jogging in the early morning.
- The meeting is in the late afternoon.
- We usually have dinner in the evening.
- She studies late at night.
- The party ended around midnight.
Conclusion
You’ve learned how to use AM and PM, tell exact and approximate times, read clocks, and talk about parts of the day in English.
Now you’re ready to use these skills in real conversations! Try using time expressions in your daily routine to improve your English.
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