{"id":272789,"date":"2026-07-19T03:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T08:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/?p=272789"},"modified":"2026-07-19T03:00:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T08:00:03","slug":"tell-time-english-a1-a1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/blog\/tell-time-english-a1-a1\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tell Time in English: A1 Vocabulary Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"lc-answer\"><strong>To tell time in English, you can use two main ways: the &#8216;past\/to&#8217; method or the simpler &#8216;digital&#8217; method.<\/strong> The &#8216;past\/to&#8217; method uses words like <span data-no-translation>past<\/span> for minutes after the hour and <span data-no-translation>to<\/span> for minutes before the hour. For example, <span data-no-translation>It&#8217;s ten past three<\/span> (3:10) or <span data-no-translation>It&#8217;s twenty to five<\/span> (4:40). The &#8216;digital&#8217; method is very easy: you just say the numbers you see, like <span data-no-translation>It&#8217;s three ten<\/span> (3:10) or <span data-no-translation>It&#8217;s four forty<\/span> (4:40). You will also learn special phrases for 15 minutes (<span data-no-translation>a quarter<\/span>) and 30 minutes (<span data-no-translation>half past<\/span>). This guide will help you understand both methods clearly.<\/div>\n<h2>How do you ask about the time?<\/h2>\n<p>When you want to know what time it is, you can use a simple question.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>What time is it?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>What&#8217;s the time?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are the most common ways to ask.<\/p>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-blended\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#0E63C4,#0A2540);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83c\udf93 Apprenez l'anglais gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la m\u00e9thode mixte<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;opacity:.95;\">Petits groupes \u00b7 Tuteur IA disponible 24 h\/24, 7 j\/7 \u00b7 Pr\u00e9paration aux examens de Cambridge<\/p><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;font-size:18px;\">Plans provenant de <strong><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\" dir=\"auto\">$<\/span>39<\/bdi><\/span><\/strong> <s style=\"opacity:.6;\"><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-amount amount\"><bdi><span class=\"woocommerce-Price-currencySymbol\" translate=\"no\" dir=\"auto\">$<\/span>79<\/bdi><\/span><\/s> par mois<\/p><a href=\"\/fr\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#0E63C4;\">R\u00e9servez votre cours<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>How do you say exact hours?<\/h2>\n<p>For exact hours, we use the word <span data-no-translation>o'clock<\/span>. This means 'of the clock'.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's one o'clock.<\/span> (1:00)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's seven o'clock.<\/span> (7:00)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's eleven o'clock.<\/span> (11:00)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We only use <span data-no-translation>o'clock<\/span> when there are no minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you say minutes after the hour? (The 'past' method)<\/h2>\n<p>When the minutes are from 1 to 30, we use the word <span data-no-translation>past<\/span>. We say the minutes first, then <span data-no-translation>past<\/span>, then the hour.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's five past two.<\/span> (2:05)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's ten past nine.<\/span> (9:10)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's twenty-five past six.<\/span> (6:25)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Remember: minutes first, then <span data-no-translation>past<\/span>, then the hour.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you say minutes before the hour? (The 'to' method)<\/h2>\n<p>When the minutes are from 31 to 59, we use the word <span data-no-translation>to<\/span>. We say how many minutes are left until the next hour.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's twenty-five to four.<\/span> (3:35)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's ten to eight.<\/span> (7:50)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's five to twelve.<\/span> (11:55)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Think about the next hour. How many minutes until then?<\/p>\n<h2>What about special times: 15 and 30 minutes?<\/h2>\n<p>For 15 minutes and 30 minutes, we have special words:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>15 minutes:<\/strong> We say <span data-no-translation>a quarter<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's a quarter past three.<\/span> (3:15)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's a quarter to nine.<\/span> (8:45)<\/li>\n<li><strong>30 minutes:<\/strong> We say <span data-no-translation>half past<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's half past five.<\/span> (5:30)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's half past ten.<\/span> (10:30)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are very common ways to say these times.<\/p>\n<h2>How do you say time the 'digital' way?<\/h2>\n<p>This is often the easiest way for beginners. You just say the numbers you see on a digital clock.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's three fifteen.<\/span> (3:15)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's seven thirty.<\/span> (7:30)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's one forty-two.<\/span> (1:42)<\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's nine fifty-five.<\/span> (9:55)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This method is simple and always correct.<\/p>\n<table>\n<caption>Summary of How to Tell Time in English<\/caption>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Time<\/th>\n<th>Common Way (Past\/To)<\/th>\n<th>Digital Way<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>1:00<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's one o'clock.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's one o'clock.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>2:05<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's five past two.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's two oh five.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>3:15<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's a quarter past three.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's three fifteen.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>4:30<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's half past four.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's four thirty.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>5:40<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's twenty to six.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's five forty.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-no-translation>6:45<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's a quarter to seven.<\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-no-translation>It's six forty-five.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2>Exemples<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-no-translation>What time is it? It's six o'clock.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>The train leaves at a quarter past eight.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>I have lunch at half past twelve.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>The movie starts at twenty to seven.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>Can we meet at four forty-five?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-no-translation>It's eight minutes past three.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Entra\u00eenement<\/h2>\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-366\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"366\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"B05 L6 VOCABULARY Time\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"lc-cta lc-cta-whatsapp\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding:30px;margin:30px 0;text-align:center;color:#fff;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#3DB16A,#1f8a4c);\"><h3 style=\"color:#fff;font-size:22px;font-weight:800;margin:0 0 8px;\">\ud83d\udcac Vous avez besoin de conseils personnalis\u00e9s ?<\/h3><p style=\"margin:0 0 16px;opacity:.95;\">En tant que centre de pr\u00e9paration agr\u00e9\u00e9 par Cambridge, nous pouvons vous aider \u00e0 choisir la formation et la certification qui vous conviennent. Discutez-en d\u00e8s aujourd'hui avec nos conseillers.<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/51987070865?text=Hi%2C%20I%27m%20interested%20in%20Langcom%27s%20courses%20and%20would%20like%20some%20guidance%20choosing%20the%20right%20one.\" style=\"display:inline-block;margin-top:8px;padding:13px 30px;border-radius:8px;font-weight:700;text-decoration:none;background:#fff;color:#1f8a4c;\">Discutez avec un conseiller sur WhatsApp<\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Erreurs courantes chez les hispanophones<\/h2>\n<p>Les hispanophones commettent parfois les erreurs suivantes :<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Using 'hour' instead of 'time':<\/strong> In Spanish, you might say '\u00bfQu\u00e9 hora es?'. In English, we say <span data-no-translation>What time is it?<\/span> (NOT: <span data-no-translation>What hour is it?<\/span>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Missing 'at' for appointments:<\/strong> In Spanish, 'a las cinco'. In English, it's <span data-no-translation>at five o'clock<\/span>. (NOT: <span data-no-translation>in five o'clock<\/span> ou <span data-no-translation>the five o'clock<\/span>)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Confusing 'past' and 'to':<\/strong> Remember <span data-no-translation>past<\/span> is for minutes after the hour, and <span data-no-translation>to<\/span> is for minutes before the next hour.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Saying 'and a half' for 30 minutes:<\/strong> In Spanish, 'y media'. In English, it's <span data-no-translation>half past<\/span>. (NOT: <span data-no-translation>three and a half<\/span> for 3:30)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Questions fr\u00e9quemment pos\u00e9es<\/h2>\n<h3>What is the difference between 'AM' and 'PM'?<\/h3>\n<p><span data-no-translation>AM<\/span> is for times from midnight (12:00 at night) to just before noon (12:00 in the day). <span data-no-translation>PM<\/span> is for times from noon (12:00 in the day) to just before midnight. For example, <span data-no-translation>7 AM<\/span> is morning, and <span data-no-translation>7 PM<\/span> is evening.<\/p>\n<h3>Do I always need to say 'It's' when telling the time?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, usually. When you answer the question <span data-no-translation>What time is it?<\/span>, you start with <span data-no-translation>It's...<\/span>. Par exemple, <span data-no-translation>It's ten o'clock.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Can I use the digital way for all times?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, the digital way (e.g., <span data-no-translation>three fifteen<\/span>) is always correct and easy to understand. It is very common, especially in informal situations.<\/p>\n<h3>What does 'a quarter' mean in time?<\/h3>\n<p>A quarter means 15 minutes. So, <span data-no-translation>a quarter past three<\/span> means 15 minutes after 3 (3:15), and <span data-no-translation>a quarter to four<\/span> means 15 minutes before 4 (3:45).<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To tell time in English, you can use two main ways: the &#8216;past\/to&#8217; method or the simpler &#8216;digital&#8217; method. The &#8216;past\/to&#8217; method uses words like past for minutes after the hour and to for minutes before the hour. For example, It&#8217;s ten past three (3:10) or It&#8217;s twenty to five (4:40). The &#8216;digital&#8217; method is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":192,"featured_media":272916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bwfblock_default_font":"","langcom_teaches":"Clock time","langcom_cefr":"A1","langcom_type":"vocabulary","langcom_faq":"[{\"q\": \"What is the difference between 'AM' and 'PM'?\", \"a\": \"<span data-no-translation>AM<\/span> is for times from midnight (12:00 at night) to just before noon (12:00 in the day). <span data-no-translation>PM<\/span> is for times from noon (12:00 in the day) to just before midnight. For example, <span data-no-translation>7 AM<\/span> is morning, and <span data-no-translation>7 PM<\/span> is evening.\"}, {\"q\": \"Do I always need to say 'It's' when telling the time?\", \"a\": \"Yes, usually. When you answer the question <span data-no-translation>What time is it?<\/span>, you start with <span data-no-translation>It's...<\/span>. For example, <span data-no-translation>It's ten o'clock.<\/span>\"}, {\"q\": \"Can I use the digital way for all times?\", \"a\": \"Yes, the digital way (e.g., <span data-no-translation>three fifteen<\/span>) is always correct and easy to understand. It is very common, especially in informal situations.\"}, {\"q\": \"What does 'a quarter' mean in time?\", \"a\": \"A quarter means 15 minutes. So, <span data-no-translation>a quarter past three<\/span> means 15 minutes after 3 (3:15), and <span data-no-translation>a quarter to four<\/span> means 15 minutes before 4 (3:45).\"}]","_kiss_seo_title":"Learn to Tell Time in English (A1 Level)","_kiss_seo_excerpt":"Master telling time in English with this A1 guide from Langcom. Learn 'o'clock,' 'past,' 'to,' and digital time. Simple explanations for learners.","_mwseo_canonical":"","_mwseo_keywords":null,"_mwseo_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[604],"tags":[781,649],"formats":[],"class_list":["post-272789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a1-beginner-english","tag-time","tag-vocabulary"],"dsm_author":{"name":"Ra\u00fal","avatar_url":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/nsl_avatars\/1de86ea706740d324aaef3dd8bf0843b.png","archive_link":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/blog\/author\/raulmaguinahamann\/","biodata":""},"dsm_categories":[{"term_name":"A1 Beginner English","term_id":604,"term_link":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/blog\/category\/learn-english\/english-for-teens-and-adults\/a1-beginner-english\/"}],"dsm_attachment_categories":[],"dsm_featured_image":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-150x150.webp","medium":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-300x158.webp","medium_large":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-768x403.webp","large":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-1024x538.webp","1536x1536":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom.webp","2048x2048":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom.webp","trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-18x9.webp","et-pb-post-main-image":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-400x250.webp","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-1080x630.webp","et-pb-portfolio-image":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-400x284.webp","et-pb-portfolio-module-image":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-510x382.webp","et-pb-portfolio-image-single":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-1080x567.webp","et-pb-gallery-module-image-portrait":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-400x516.webp","et-pb-post-main-image-fullwidth-large":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom.webp","et-pb-image--responsive--desktop":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom.webp","et-pb-image--responsive--tablet":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-980x515.webp","et-pb-image--responsive--phone":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-480x252.webp","woocommerce_thumbnail":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-300x300.webp","woocommerce_single":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-600x315.webp","woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom-100x100.webp","full":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/clock-time-a1-vocabulary-english-langcom.webp"},"dsm_comment_count":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/192"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272789\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272789"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langcom.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/formats?post=272789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}