SPEAKING
Telling The Time
How to tell the time in English?
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:
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. |
