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Telling The Time

How to tell the time in English?

clock

There are two common ways of telling the time in English. For 2:40 you can use one of these two ways.

  • Digital: the easier way - "Two forty "
  • Classical: you say the minutes first then the hour - "twenty to three"

Here are the different ways to ask for and tell the time.

Asking about the time:

What
time is it?
time do you make it?
's the time?
Have you got
the right time?

Telling the time:

Digital It's ... It's ...
2.00
two o'clock
two
2.06
six minutes past two
two oh six
2.09
nine minutes past two
two oh nine
2.12
twelve past two
two twelve
2.15
a quarter past two
two fifteen
2.20
twenty past two
two twenty
2.25
twenty-five past two
two twenty-five
2.30
half past two
two thirty
2.35
twenty-five to three
two thirty-five
2.40
twenty to three
two forty
2.45
a quarter to three
two forty-five
2.50
ten to three
two fifty
2.55
five to three
two fifty-five
2.57
three minutes to three
two fifty-seven
2.58
nearly three o'clock
two fifty-eight
3.00
three o'clock
three

Example:

Question: What's the time, please?
Answer: It's two o'clock.

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