WHAT TIME IS IT?

This is a very important question in English.

If you want to know the time to do something or the time that next bus will pass, you must know how to ask the question “what time is it?”

It is very important to understand too.

In English there are many ways of telling the time.

What time is it?

2.30 = it’s two thirty or it’s half past two.

7.15 = it’s seven fifteen or it’s quarter past seven.

3.45 = it’s three forty-five or quarter to four.

4.55 = it’s four fifty-five or it’s five to five.

You can understand the ways of telling the time in English just by watching this great video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3icBxO6Wjz0

One of the best ways to practice the time in English is by asking and answering question like these ones:

What time do you get up?

What time do you have breakfast?

What time do you do exercise?

What time do you have lunch?

What time do you have dinner?

What time do you go to bed?

LANGUAGE NOTE: vocabulary: a.m. and p.m.

a.m. stands for ante meridian (before midday) and p.m. for post meridian (after midday). They’re used to differentiate between times in the morning and those in the afternoon / evening. Note that 12.00 a.m. is midnight, and 12.00 p.m. is midday. These two are often confused, and, as a result, midnight and midday or noon are the preferred terms.

12.00 a.m. = midnight

12.00 p.m. = midday

However a.m. or p.m. are not usually said unless it isn’t clear from the context whether it’s the morning or evening. For example, if you’re going to the cinema with friends, you’d say it starts at 7.00, because it’s obviously in the evening.