Blog about English
Expressing clock time and talking about parts of the day.
English uses several patterns to say what time it is, including digital-style readings, o’clock, and expressions with past and to.
For example, six o’clock, six fifteen, quarter past six, and quarter to seven.
O'clock is used after whole hours when giving an exact clock time.
For example, It is five o'clock and The meeting starts at nine o'clock.
Times written numerically can be read using the hour followed by the minutes.
For example, 7:15 can be read as seven fifteen and 10:30 as ten thirty.
Quarter past means fifteen minutes after the hour.
For example, 6:15 is quarter past six.
Half past means thirty minutes after the hour.
For example, 6:30 is half past six.
Quarter to means fifteen minutes before the next hour.
For example, 6:45 is quarter to seven.
Past can be used with a number of minutes to identify a time after the current hour.
For example, 6:10 is ten past six and 6:20 is twenty past six.
To can be used with a number of minutes to identify a time before the next hour.
For example, 6:50 is ten to seven and 6:40 is twenty to seven.
Minutes in multiples of five can commonly be expressed with past or to.
For example, 8:05 is five past eight and 8:55 is five to nine.
O'clock normally occurs only with whole hours, while minutes are used when the time is not exactly on the hour.
For example, five o'clock but five twenty for 5:20.
Noon refers to 12:00 in the middle of the day and midnight refers to 12:00 at night.
For example, The meeting starts at noon and We arrived at midnight.
Midday refers approximately to the middle of the day and is commonly used as a synonym for noon.
For example, We arrived around midday.
A.M. and p.m. distinguish times before and after noon in the twelve-hour clock system.
For example, 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The expressions 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. can be ambiguous or confusing, so noon and midnight are often clearer.
For example, write 12 noon or 12 midnight when absolute clarity is important.
The twenty-four-hour clock expresses times from 00:00 through 23:59 without a.m. or p.m.
For example, 18:30 represents 6:30 p.m.
Twenty-four-hour times can be read using the hour and minutes, with local conventions varying by context.
For example, 14:05 can be read as fourteen oh five or two oh five p.m. when converted to the twelve-hour system.
Oh can be used when reading a zero in the minutes position, especially in timetables and spoken digital times.
For example, 7:05 can be read as seven oh five.
Digital-style readings normally pronounce the minutes as a number following the hour.
For example, 10:15 is ten fifteen and 10:45 is ten forty-five.
Past refers to minutes after the current hour, while to refers to minutes remaining before the next hour.
For example, 7:55 is five to eight, not five to seven.
At is normally used before a specific clock time.
For example, The train leaves at 7:30.
From ... to or until can identify the beginning and end of a period measured by clock time.
For example, The office is open from 9 to 5 and We waited until 6.
By indicates a deadline no later than a particular time.
For example, Please be here by 8:00.
Around and about can indicate an approximate clock time.
For example, Come at around six and We should arrive about 8:30.
Expressions such as just before and just after identify a time immediately on either side of a reference time.
For example, We arrived just before six and She called just after noon.
In is normally used with morning, afternoon, and evening when referring generally to a part of the day.
For example, at 8 in the morning and We arrived in the evening.
At is normally used with night when referring generally to the nighttime period.
For example, I work at night.
Early and late can modify clock times or parts of the day to indicate relative position within a period.
For example, early in the morning, late at night, and early at 7 a.m.
At what time is a formal or explicit way to ask about a clock time, while what time is more common in ordinary conversation.
For example, At what time does the meeting begin? and What time does the meeting begin?
Schedules and timetables commonly use digital twenty-four-hour notation or concise hour-and-minute forms.
For example, 07:30, 14:45, and 21:10.
Past and half-past expressions describe times relative to the current hour rather than simply reading the digits.
For example, half past eight and twenty-five past nine.
To and quarter expressions refer forward to the next hour.
For example, quarter to five and ten to twelve.
Both British and American English use digital-style readings and o'clock, while preferences for expressions such as half past and quarter past can vary by speaker and context.
Regional differences are generally smaller for telling time than for some other number and date conventions.
Approximate expressions can be combined with clock times to avoid presenting an inexact time as exact.
For example, at about five, around 5:30, and just before seven.
Written numerical time and spoken time expressions do not always use the same surface form.
For example, 6:45 can be written numerically and spoken as six forty-five or quarter to seven.
Use the correct hour with past and to, distinguish noon and midnight, choose appropriate a.m. and p.m. forms, and use at before specific clock times.
Common mistakes include saying five to five for 4:55 instead of five to five only when referring to 4:55, confusing quarter past with quarter to, using in before exact times, and writing ambiguous 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. when clarity matters.