Video Script

There are two common ways of telling the time.

First way: Say the hour first and then the minutes.

For example: It’s seven twenty-five, it’s nine O-five (the O is said like the letter O), it’s ten eleven, it’s four thirty-six, and so on.

Second way: Say the minutes first and then the hour. 

For example: It’s twenty-five to six, it’s five to three, it’s twenty past eleven, it’s eighteen past four, and so on.

For minutes 1-30 we use PAST after the minutes.

For minutes 31-59 we use TO after the minutes.

—End of Script—

In this lesson, you will learn:

• Two ways to tell the time: Digital (hour + minutes) and Analog (minutes + hour).
• How to use past and to for minutes.
• Special expressions: quarter past, quarter to, noon, and midnight.
• Parts of the day: morning, afternoon, evening, night.
• How to ask and answer about the current time, habits, events, and duration.

Two Ways to Tell the Time

Method 1: Hour + Minutes (Digital Style)

Say the hour first, then the minutes.

Method 2: Minutes + Hour (Analog Style)

Say the minutes first, then the hour.

Note on Time Expressions in American English

In American English, we use specific phrases to talk about time clearly and naturally. Here are some important conventions:

🕒 Quarter Expressions

• “It’s a quarter past seven.” (= 7:15)
• “It’s a quarter to five.” (= 4:45)

While some speakers may drop the “a,” the full form is more widely accepted.

🕛 Noon and Midnight

• Noon = 12:00 PM → “The meeting is at noon.”
• Midnight = 12:00 AM → “The flight leaves at midnight.”

These terms are preferred over “twelve PM” or “twelve AM” to avoid confusion.

Parts of the Day

Tip: Use “in the…” for general time periods, and “at…” for specific times.

Talking About Time — Asking, Answering, and Understanding

In this lesson, you will learn how to ask and answer questions about time in real-life contexts, using both analog and digital formats.

Asking for the Current Time

We ask for the time using polite questions:

• “What time is it?”
• “Do you have the time?”
• “Could you tell me the time, please?”

We answer using analog or digital forms:

• “It’s a quarter past three.” (analog)
• “It’s three fifteen.” (digital)

Q&A Practice: Current Time

Student A: Excuse me, what time is it?
Student B: It’s a quarter to five.

Student A: Do you have the time?
Student B: Yes, it’s six thirty.

Student A: Could you tell me the time, please?
Student B: Sure — it’s ten past two.

Asking About Habits and Routines

We ask about daily habits using:

• “What time do you wake up?”
• “What time do you eat lunch?”
• “What time do you go to bed?”

We answer with at + time:

• “I wake up at six o’clock.”
• “I eat lunch at twelve thirty.”
• “I go to bed at ten fifteen.”

Q&A Practice: Habits

Student A: What time do you get up?
Student B: I get up at seven o’clock.

Student A: What time do you start work?
Student B: At eight thirty.

Student A: What time do you go to sleep?
Student B: At ten fifteen.

Asking About Scheduled Events

We ask about events using:

• “What time does the class start?”
• “What time is the meeting?”
• “When is the appointment?”

We answer with at + time:

• “The class starts at nine o’clock.”
• “The meeting is at two fifteen.”
• “The appointment is at four thirty.”

Q&A Practice: Events

Student A: What time is the movie?
Student B: It’s at seven o’clock.

Student A: When does the bus arrive?
Student B: At five forty-five.

Student A: At what time is the test?
Student B: At eight thirty.

Asking About Duration

We ask about how long something lasts using:

• “How long is the class?”
• “How long does the movie last?”
• “How long is the flight?”

We answer with for + duration:

• “The class is for one hour.”
• “The movie lasts for two hours.”
• “The flight is two hours and fifteen minutes.”

Q&A Practice: Duration

Student A: How long is the lesson?
Student B: It’s one hour.

Student A: How long does the movie last?
Student B: Two hours and ten minutes.

Student A: How long is your break?
Student B: Fifteen minutes.