How to tell the time in English?
There are two common ways of telling the time in English. For 2:40 you can use one of these two ways.
Here are the different ways to ask for and tell the time.
- Digital: the easier way - "Two forty "
- Classical: you say the minutes first then the hour - "twenty to three"
Asking about the time:
Telling the time:
| Digital | It's ... | It's ... |
|---|---|---|
2.00
|
two o'clock
|
two
|
2.06
|
six minutes past two
|
two oh six
|
2.09
|
nine minutes past two
|
two oh nine
|
2.12
|
twelve past two
|
two twelve
|
2.15
|
a quarter past two
|
two fifteen
|
2.20
|
twenty past two
|
two twenty
|
2.25
|
twenty-five past two
|
two twenty-five
|
2.30
|
half past two
|
two thirty
|
2.35
|
twenty-five to three
|
two thirty-five
|
2.40
|
twenty to three
|
two forty
|
2.45
|
a quarter to three
|
two forty-five
|
2.50
|
ten to three
|
two fifty
|
2.55
|
five to three
|
two fifty-five
|
2.57
|
three minutes to three
|
two fifty-seven
|
2.58
|
nearly three o'clock
|
two fifty-eight
|
3.00
|
three o'clock
|
three
|
Example:
| Question: | What's the time, please? |
|---|---|
| Answer: | It's two o'clock. |
| Wh Question Word | Auxilary Verb | Subject | Verb | others |
| Where | do | you | go | to? |
| What | does | she | watch | on TV? |
| When | does | Mike | leave | school? |
| Who | do | you | like | much? |
| Why | does | the teacher | say | that? |
| How | do | we | reach | him? |
| subject | verb(s) | object |
|---|---|---|
| I | speak | English |
| I | can speak | English |
| subject | verb(s9 | indirect object | direct object | place | time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | will tell | you | the story | at school | tomorrow. |
| subject | verbs | indirect object | direct object | place | time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | will not tell | you | the story | at school | tomorrow. |
| interrogative | auxiliary verb | subject | other verb(s) | indirect object | direct object | place | time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What | do | you | do | on weekends | |||
| Do | you | have | a party | in your flat | tomorrow? | ||
| When | are | you | here? |
| subject | auxiliary/be | adverb | main verb | object, place or time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | often | go swimming | in the evenings. | |
| He | doesn't | always | play | tennis. |
| We | are | usually | here in summer. | |
 |  |  |
| accountant(s) | baker(s) | barber(s) |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
| barman (barmen) | builder(s) | butcher(s) |
 |  |  |
| carpenter(s) | cashier(s) | chambermaid(s) |
 |  |  |
| chef(s) | cleaner(s) | dentist(s) |
 |  |  |
| doctor(s) | electrician(s) | engineer(s) |
 |  |  |
| fireman (firemen) | fishmonger(s) | flight attendant(s) |
 |  |  |
| hairdresser(s) | judge(s) | lawyer(s) |
 |  |  |
| nurse(s) | optician(s) | painter(s) |
 |  |  |
| photographer(s) | plumber(s) | policeman (policemen) |
 |  |  |
| porter(s) | post[wo]man (post[wo]men) | receptionist(s) |
 |  |  |
| reporter(s) | sales assistant(s) | sales representative(s) |
 |  |  |
| scientist(s) | secretary (secretaries) | surgeon(s) |
 |  |  |
| tailor(s) | teacher(s) | technician(s) |
 |  |  |
boys
|
cars
|
pens
|
pills
|
pronounce /z/
| ||||
cats
|
rocks
|
tips
|
chiefs
|
pronounce /s/
| ||||
kisses
|
watches
|
boxes
|
dishes
|
pronounce /Iz/
|
women
|
teeth
|
mice
|
children
|
people
|
