What time is it? – Time expression

First, I’d like to share to you a funny story about my mother. Once day, I and she went back from Optical Hospital in Ba Trieu Street. My mother sat behind me on my motorbike. Everything seemed to be ok. While I was waiting for traffic light count down, suddently, my mother asked a man next to me: Hey boy, what time is it plz? (of course she speaked by Vietnamese: Cậu ơi, cho hỏi mấy giờ rồi?

I was quite shocked, and was wondering why she didn’t ask me but him? Turned out, he is so handsome and may be rich man, because he drove an expensive vehicle, PCX, and wore a luxurious watch, Rolex.

Okay, turn back our lesson today. We will study the way people talk about time.

1.    The easiest way but still formal:

Say the hours first then the minutes

Eg: 7:45 – seven forty five.

Exception: 8.02 – eight oh two. For ‘0’ you pronounce as oh

2.    More popular way

Say the minutes first and then the hours:

Past:             9:15 – fifteen past nine; 9: 23 – twenty three past nine

To:     9:45 –fifteen to ten;        9:50 – ten to ten

A quarter past:     9:15 – a quarter past nine

A quarter to:         9:45 – a quarter to ten

O’clock – use it only at the full hour: 6:00 – six o’clock.

3.    Other notes:

Eg:            17:20 – twenty past five

                        0:00 – midnight

                        12: 00 – midday / at noon.

            A.M (or am) – ante meridiem: before noon (0:00 - 12:00)

P.M (or pm) – post meridiem: after noon (12:00 – 24:00)

American English: 06:10 – ten past six / ten after six.

                                    05:50 – ten to six / ten before six.