Do you know what time it is? Telling and asking the time is one of the most essential skills in everyday English. Every day, we check the clock, make plans, and meet people — and for all of this, we need time expressions. In this lesson, you will learn simple, practical phrases like What time is it? and It is three o'clock. By the end, you will feel confident talking about time in real situations.
Definition
Telling the time means saying what hour or minute it is on the clock. Asking the time means using a question to find out the current time. In English, we use key phrases like What time is it? or What is the time? to ask, and It is + time to answer.
At the A1 level, the core structure is simple: start with It is... and add the hour. For example, It is six o'clock means the clock shows 6:00. You can also say half past for 30 minutes or quarter past for 15 minutes — making your time expressions more precise and natural.
Why Should You Learn This?
Time is everywhere in daily life. You need it to catch a bus, arrive at school on time, or meet a friend for coffee. Without time expressions, simple conversations become very difficult. Learning to ask and tell the time gives you a vital tool for real communication — at work, at school, and in the street. It is a small topic, but it opens many doors. Master it, and your everyday English becomes immediately more useful and powerful.
Key Points
- Asking the time: Use What time is it? or What is the time? — both are correct and natural in everyday conversation.
- Answering with o'clock: Say It is + hour + o'clock for exact hours. For example, It is nine o'clock means 9:00.
- Half past: Use half past + hour for 30 minutes. For example, It is half past two means 2:30.
- Quarter past and quarter to: Quarter past means 15 minutes after the hour. Quarter to means 15 minutes before the next hour.
- Using numbers directly: You can also say the numbers simply — It is seven fifteen or It is four forty-five — this is clear and very common.
- Polite requests: To be polite, say Excuse me, what time is it, please? — adding please makes your question friendly and respectful.
- AM and PM: Use AM for morning hours and PM for afternoon and evening hours. For example, It is 8 AM means eight o'clock in the morning.
Example Sentences
- Excuse me, what time is it, please? — It is ten o'clock.
- What is the time? — It is half past three.
- My class starts at eight o'clock in the morning.
- The bus arrives at quarter past two.
- It is quarter to seven — we need to hurry!
- School finishes at four thirty every afternoon.
- It is 9 AM. Time for breakfast!
- The meeting is at five forty-five PM.
- It is half past twelve. Let's have lunch.
- What time does the shop open? — It opens at nine o'clock.
Usage Areas
Time expressions appear in nearly every corner of daily communication. Whether you are catching a train, scheduling a meeting, or simply chatting with a neighbour, knowing how to express and inquire about the hour is a fundamental building block of natural English conversation.
At School or Work
Students and professionals rely on clock references constantly. Sentences like Class begins at eight thirty or The presentation is at quarter past eleven keep everyone organised and on schedule. Getting this right shows clarity and confidence in everyday interaction.
In Public Situations
When you are on the street, at a bus stop, or inside a shop, you may need to ask a stranger for the current time. A polite question such as Excuse me, could you tell me what time it is? followed by a clear answer like It is twenty to five makes the exchange smooth and effortlessly natural.
Making Plans with Others
Arranging to meet a friend or family member requires precise time references. Saying Let's meet at half past six or I will be there at quarter to nine removes any confusion and ensures both people arrive at the right moment.
Describing a Daily Schedule
Talking about your routine — when you wake up, eat, study, or sleep — relies entirely on time vocabulary. Phrases like I wake up at seven o'clock or I go to bed at eleven PM paint a vivid, complete picture of your day for any listener.
Step-by-Step Learning Guide
- Step 1: Learn the two question forms. Memorise both What time is it? and What is the time? Say them out loud several times until they feel automatic and comfortable on your tongue.
- Step 2: Master the o'clock structure. Practise saying exact hours first — It is one o'clock, It is two o'clock... all the way to twelve. This single pattern covers every full hour on the clock.
- Step 3: Add half past and quarter past. Once exact hours feel steady, move on to half past for 30 minutes and quarter past for 15 minutes after the hour. Create short sentences: It is half past four. It is quarter past nine.
- Step 4: Introduce quarter to. Now practise counting backwards toward the next hour. Quarter to six means 5:45. Repeat this pattern with three or four different hours until the concept clicks.
- Step 5: Practise with a real clock or phone. Look at the time right now and say it aloud in English. Do this every hour throughout your day — this simple habit builds speed and accuracy faster than any textbook exercise.
- Step 6: Use AM and PM correctly. Attach AM to morning hours and PM to afternoon or evening hours. Write five sentences about your own daily schedule — for example, I eat dinner at seven PM — to make the distinction instinctive and clear.
- Step 7: Role-play short dialogues. With a partner or even alone in front of a mirror, practise a two-line exchange: ask the time, then answer it. Switch roles. Vary the hours each round. Real spoken practice is the fastest route to genuine fluency at this level.
Summary
In this lesson, you have explored the core language of telling and asking the time in English. You practised two natural question forms — What time is it? and What is the time? — alongside clear answer structures using o'clock, half past, quarter past, and quarter to. You also discovered how direct number expressions like seven fifteen or four forty-five offer a quick and equally accepted alternative. Together with AM and PM, these building blocks equip you to handle clock-related conversations in virtually any real-life setting with accuracy and ease.
Time Expressions at a Glance
| Clock Shows | Expression | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | It is three o'clock | It is three |
| 3:15 | It is quarter past three | It is three fifteen |
| 3:30 | It is half past three | It is three thirty |
| 3:45 | It is quarter to four | It is three forty-five |
| 8:00 (morning) | It is eight o'clock AM | It is eight in the morning |
| 8:00 (evening) | It is eight o'clock PM | It is eight in the evening |
Tips and Tricks
- Say it every hour: Each time you glance at your phone or watch, say the time aloud in English. This tiny daily habit builds remarkable speed over just a few weeks.
- Work backwards from the next hour: When the minute hand is past 30, shift your thinking to the hour ahead. Ask yourself how many minutes remain until the next full hour — this makes quarter to and other to expressions click naturally.
- Link AM and PM to meals: Associate AM with breakfast and PM with dinner. This simple mental image prevents mix-ups in everyday speech without any extra memorisation effort.
- Use both question forms equally: Alternate between What time is it? and What is the time? in your practice so both feel effortless, whichever one comes to mind first in a real conversation.
- Write your daily schedule in English: List five things you do each day — waking up, eating, studying, exercising, sleeping — with the exact time in English beside each. Reading it aloud each morning builds fluency through meaningful repetition.
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: It is o'clock five.
Correct: It is five o'clock.
Explanation: In English, the number always comes before o'clock, never after. The word o'clock closes the phrase, so the hour must lead.
Incorrect: It is quarter past to six.
Correct: It is quarter to six.
Explanation: Quarter past and quarter to are two separate expressions. Never combine them. Use quarter past for 15 minutes after the hour and quarter to for 15 minutes before the next hour.
Incorrect: It is half to three.
Correct: It is half past three.
Explanation: The word half is always followed by past, not to. Only quarter uses to when counting backward toward the next hour.
Incorrect: I wake up at 7 PM in the morning.
Correct: I wake up at 7 AM in the morning.
Explanation: AM refers to the hours between midnight and noon. PM covers noon to midnight. Mixing them with phrases like in the morning creates a direct contradiction.
Important Vocabulary
- o'clock: A word used after the hour number to indicate an exact, full hour — for example, seven o'clock means precisely 7:00.
- half past: An expression meaning 30 minutes after a given hour — half past four equals 4:30.
- quarter past: A phrase indicating 15 minutes after the hour — quarter past ten equals 10:15.
- quarter to: A phrase indicating 15 minutes before the next hour — quarter to nine equals 8:45.
- AM (ante meridiem): A Latin-origin abbreviation used for all times from midnight to just before noon — the morning hours.
- PM (post meridiem): A Latin-origin abbreviation covering all times from noon to just before midnight — the afternoon and evening hours.
- exact hour: A moment on the clock when the minute hand points to 12 and no minutes have passed — expressed with o'clock.
- time expression: Any word or phrase used to communicate a specific point or period on the clock, such as half past two or nine fifteen.
Conclusion
You have now built a solid, practical foundation for one of the most frequently used skills in everyday English communication. From the simple elegance of It is three o'clock to the satisfying precision of quarter to eight, every expression you have encountered here will serve you in real moments — at school, on the street, and throughout your daily schedule. The path forward is refreshingly straightforward: keep practising, keep speaking, and let each glance at a clock become a small victory in your growing confidence. Time is on your side — use every minute of it wisely.