Hours in English

The hours in English may be accompanied by some expressions of time , for example:

  • Day : day
  • Today : today
  • Yesterday : yesterday
  • The day before yesterday : the day before yesterday
  • Tomorrow : tomorrow
  • The day after tomorrow : the day after tomorrow
  • Morning : morning
  • Afternoon : afternoon
  • Evening : evening
  • Night : night
  • Tonight : tonight
  • Midday : noon
  • At noon : at noon
  • Midnight : midnight
  • At midnight : at midnight

Rules and Examples

How to ask the time in English?

To ask for the time in English we use the following expressions:

  • What time is it? (What time is it?)
  • What is the time? (What time is it?)
  • Have you got the time? (Do you have time?)
  • Do you have the time? (What time is it?)
  • Could you tell me the time? (Could you tell me the time?)

In British English , it is also common to use the expressions:

  • What time do you make it? (What time is it?)
  • What do you make the time? (What time is it?)

Another difference between American and British English is the sign used between the hour and the minutes:

Examples:

  • : 10 – two ten (American English)
  • 10 – two ten (British English)

How to speak the time in English?

To inform the time in English, use “it is” or “it’s” and the corresponding numbers (hour and minute):

Examples:

  • 4:35 – It is four thirty-five.
  • 7:20 – It is seven twenty.

Expressions used to tell the time

Hours in English
Hours in English

The expression “ o’clock ” is used to indicate the exact time:

Examples:

  • 3:00 – It is three o’clock.
  • 9:00 – It is nine o’clock.

The expression “ past ” is used to indicate the minutes before 30:

Examples:

  • 6:20 – It is six twenty or It is twenty past six.
  • 8:10 – It is eight ten or It is ten past eight.

The expression “ a quarter ” is used to indicate a quarter of an hour (15 minutes):

Examples:

  • 3:15 – It is three fifteen or It is a quarter past three.
  • 8:15 – It is eight fifteen or It is a quarter past eight.

The expression “ half past ” is used to indicate half an hour (30 minutes):

Examples:

  • 8:30 – It is eight thirty or It is half past eight.
  • 11:30 – It is eleven thirty or It is half past eleven.

Note that after 30 minutes, instead of the expression “past”, we use the “ to ”:

Examples:

  • 8.45 – It is eight forty-five or It is a quarter to nine.
  • 8.50 – It is eight fifty or It is ten to nine.

See also: Simple Present

Pay Attention!

We use the expressions am and pm to indicate when the time in English occurs before or after noon.

am – before noon
p.m. – after noon

Examples:

  • 9:00 – It’s nine am or It’s nine o’clock in the morning. (It’s nine in the morning.)
  • 10:00 – It’s ten pm or It’s ten o’clock in the evening.

Exercises ( Exercises )

1. Write the hours in English.

a) 7:00

Answer

It’s seven o’clock.

b) 5:10

Answer

It’s five ten.
It’s ten past five.

c) 7:50

Answer

It’s seven fifty.
It’s ten to eight.

d) 8:55

Answer

It’s eight fifty-five.
It’s five to nine.

e) 10:30

Answer

It’s ten thirty.
It’s half past ten.
It’s ten and a half.

2. Write the numerals that represent the hours reported in English.

a) It’s a quarter to ten.

Answer

9:45

b) It’s half past seven.

Answer

7:30

c) It’s eleven o’clock.

Answer

11:00

d) It’s a quarter past five

Answer

5:15

e) It’s eight ten

Answer

8:10

3. Watch the clocks and spell out the hours.

Hours in English
Hours in English

a) It’s ______________________.

Answer

It’s five o’clock.

b) It’s ______________________.

Answer

It’s half past twelve or It’s twelve thirty.

c) It’s ______________________.

Answer

It’s half past three or It’s three past.

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