What time it is? Time vocabulary pronunciation in English [Video]
Tick-tock, it's time to jazz up your time vocabulary language skills with some telling time practice!
In this mini video lesson with English language teacher, Mariana Bernicci, we're diving into the world of telling time practice and time vocabulary in English. From "o'clock" to "half past," we've got all the tips and tricks you need to become a time-telling whiz. So, grab your watch and let's turn time-telling into a fun and exciting English learning adventure! Press play on the video below, or follow along in the video summary below it.
Telling time practice in English: A video summary
If you’ve ever found yourself panicking and sweating when someone asks you what time it is in English, don't worry. In this video, we’ll help you learn how to read a clock correctly in one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Before we dive into the lesson, make sure to subscribe, like, turn on notifications, and share this video. Your engagement helps us create more content for you here on YouTube. Now, let's get started!
Numbers
In order to tell the time in English, it is important to know how to pronounce the English numbers. If you're not familiar with the numbers in English, take some time to practice by counting to 100 out loud or singing a song. You can also refer to this article on our blog with English numbers up to a thousand
Additionally, it's worth mentioning that English-speaking countries usually prefer the 12-hour clock format over the 24-hour clock format. This means that we separate morning and afternoon or evening with "a.m." and "p.m." respectively. "A.m." refers to the time period from midnight to noon, while "p.m." refers to the time period from noon to midnight.
Time vocabulary basic expressions
Now, let's learn three basic expressions used to ask and tell the time.
Question: "What time is it?"
The first expression is the simple question, "What time is it?". Repeat after me, "What time is it?".
Polite question: "Could you tell me the time, please?"
If you want to be more polite, you can ask, "Could you tell me the time, please?". This is a common way to ask for the time in a formal or polite setting.
Answer: "It's [time]"
To answer these questions, you can simply state the time. For example, "It's 2:00" or "It's 11:30" or "It's 8:25", and so on. Here, try to answer with the time shown on the clock below:
- Question: "What time is it?"
- Answer: "It's 9:15" or "It's a quarter past 9".
Good job! Most of the time, we say the hour before the minutes. However, it is also possible to switch the order when using the word "past". For example, "It's 5 past 7". You could also say, "It's 7:05" (note: the letter 'O' is how we read the number 0 between numbers).
The word "past" can only be used for the first 30 minutes of the hour. After that, you can use the remaining minutes and the word "to" followed by the next hour number. For example, "It's 10 to 9" means that there are 10 minutes until the clock strikes 9.
To recap, if you want to read the hour and then the minutes, just say the numbers one after another. You can include an "O" if the minutes are less than 10. However, if you want to reverse the order, use "past" or "to". These two prepositions can also come after the expression "a quarter", which means 25% of an hour or 15 minutes. For example, "a quarter past 6" is 6:15 and "a quarter to 6" is 5:45.
Another common expression is "half past". When it's 4:30, we say "half past 4" because 30 minutes make half an hour. So, "half past 4" is equivalent to 4:30.
When there are no minutes, we can simply say the hours and then the expression "o'clock". For example, 1:00 is pronounced as "one o'clock".
Finally, it's important to note that 12:00 can be called "midday" if it is noon or 12:00 p.m., and "midnight" if it is dark or 12:00 a.m.
Practice telling the time!
Now, let's play a little game to practice what we have learned so far. In the video, you’ll see some clocks, and you have a few seconds to try to answer the time correctly. Ready? Let's go!
- Question: "What time is it?"
- Answer: "It's 9:15" or "It's a quarter past 9".
- Question: "What time is it?"
- Answer: "It's 12:00 p.m." or "It's midday" or "It's 12:00".
- Question: "What time is it?"
- Answer: "It's 3:45 p.m." or "It's a quarter to 4 p.m." or "It's 4 to 4 p.m.".
- Question: "What time is it?"
- Answer: "It's 2:00 p.m." or "It's 2:00".
Great job! If you managed to answer correctly, congratulations! Understanding these concepts can be quite confusing at first, but with practice, you'll become more comfortable in time vocabulary expressions and pronunciation.
Remember to watch the video a few more times and try to practice every time you pick up your phone to check the time. The more you practice, the easier it will become.
