To ask the time: "What time is it?" or "What's the time?". To say the time: "It's…". Never say "It has…" or "The time is…" in everyday speech.
Using PAST
When the minute hand is on the right half of the clock, use "past". Order: the minute, then "past", then the current hour.
5 past 6
10 past 6
quarter past 6
20 past 6
25 past 6
half past 6
Using TO
When the minute hand is on the left half of the clock, use "to". Order: the minute, then "to", then the next hour.
25 to 7
20 to 7
quarter to 7
10 to 7
5 to 7
O'clock
o'clock
/əˈklɒk/
It's three o'clock. Use only when the minutes are 00.
midday / noon
/ˌmɪdˈdeɪ/ /nuːn/
We eat at midday. (12:00)
midnight
/ˈmɪd.naɪt/
The party ends at midnight. (00:00)
Digital style (common in US)
For any minute value, you can just say each digit — very common in the US, and useful for times that don't land on a neat 5-minute mark.
6:05
six oh five
6:15
six fifteen
6:30
six thirty
6:45
six forty-five
AM and PM
a.m.
Morning.
p.m.
Afternoon/evening.
12 p.m.
Noon.
12 a.m.
Midnight.
Asking the time
What time is it?
Do you have the time?
Could you tell me the time?
Useful prepositions
at 6:00
from 8 to 10
until noon
around five
about six
Common mistakes
Don't say "six hours" for 6:00. Don't use "o'clock" with minutes (not "six o'clock fifteen"). Remember: TO refers to the next hour.
Examples
2:00
It's two o'clock.
4:15
It's quarter past four.
5:30
It's half past five.
7:45
It's quarter to eight.
9:55
It's five to ten.
11:05
It's five past eleven.
Exercise 1 — Look at the clock and write the time
Use full words (for example: "ten past nine").
Exercise 2 — Write these times in full words
Type the full-word form of each time.
1.1:08 =
2.3:45 =
3.5:27 =
4.7:00 =
5.8:34 =
6.10:15 =
7.11:52 =
8.12:30 =
9.2:41 =
10.9:19 =