How to correctly ask and say the time in English. “What is the correct way to say it in English?” - this is the wrong question
Today I answer Zhilbek’s question: “One day my daughter and son-in-law returned from vacation. I wanted to ask: “How did you rest?” I asked: “How did you rest?” My son-in-law was very surprised and told his daughter, and she told me that I had violated the territory. I still don't know what or why. And how should it be done correctly?”
Zhilbek, you didn’t say anything terrible. Your daughter could explain to you that this is a literal translation from Russian and the English verb TO REST - to rest - means a completely different rest. Well, all three of us would smile. Would you forever remember how to correctly say in English “How did you rest?” and which English verb to use. It is quite natural that when you learn English, do not yet understand the intricacies of the English language, translate into English word for word from Russian, substituting English verbs with a similar translation from the dictionary, such errors are not uncommon. And you are not alone in this.
See the video tutorial for the meaning English verb"TO REST" and useful phrases on English language about rest.
Useful English phrases on the topic of relaxation:How did you rest? - How did you rest? How did you sleep?
Did you rest well? / Did you sleep well? - Slept well? / How did you sleep?
Did you have a good vacation? - How did you relax?/Did you have a good vacation?
How was your vacation? - How was your holiday?
Did you have a good time? - Did you have a good time?
You need to rest. - You need to rest.
Let me rest a minute. - Give me a minute to rest.
Shh, be quiet! Grandma is resting. - Quiet! Grandma is resting.
To go on vacation – Go on vacation
Did you have a good time? - How was your vacation? (Did you have a good time?)
We had a wonderful time! — We had a wonderful rest! (We had a great time!)
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If you have already mastered a little English, it's time to learn how to tell dates and times. Time is a concept that unites different peoples, but to designate it in the language of each nation there are its own characteristics, which we will talk about in this article. First, let's learn how to correctly write and pronounce dates, and for this, let's remember how they are formed in English.
The basic rule is that to form an ordinal number you need to add the ending - the suffix “th” to . Let’s take, for example, the cardinal number “four” and form the ordinal number “fourth” from it: four + th = fourth. Several numerals are exceptions: the first - the first, the second - the second, the third - the third.
How to say dates in EnglishNow that we have remembered about ordinal numbers, let's move on to the rules for marking dates in English. There are two options for designating dates, and the oral and written versions differ from each other:
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Now let's figure out how to pronounce the year. We pronounce all the years before 2000 as follows: we divide four digits into two parts and pronounce two two-digit numbers, for example, to pronounce “1975” we must first say 19, then 75 - nineteen seventy-five.
- In nineteen seventy five (1975) I went to Moscow - in 1975 I went to Moscow
We translate the year 2000 into English as two thousand, all subsequent years, for example, 2005 - two thousand and five. We pronounce 2011 and all subsequent years as usual: twenty eleven.
How to say in English what time is it? How to ask correctly and answer correctly?
To begin, repeat the numbers 1 to 12 to represent hours and 1 to 30 to represent minutes. Learn the words needed to indicate time: “half” and “quarter”, as well as “in the morning”, “in the afternoon”, “at night”, “in the evening” evenings."
Now, following the movement of the clock hand, we will begin to indicate the time in English. If you need to indicate the exact time, at the end of the sentence you need to put the word “o’clock” or “exactly”, which are translated “exactly”. You should always put it is (it’s) at the beginning of a sentence.
- It’s 7 o’clock in the morning = It’s exactly 7 a.m. – it’s 7 am now
If the time is not precise, we use the words “past-after” for the first half of the hour and “to-without” for the second half of the hour.
- We will translate five minutes past two as “five minutes after two” - it is 5 minutes past two
- Ten minutes past one “ten minutes after the hour” - it is ten minutes past one
- Quarter past four - it is a quarter past four
- Twenty-five minutes past five - it’s twenty-five minutes past five
- Half past six “half after six” - it’s half past six
- Twenty minutes to ten – it’s twenty minutes to ten
- Quarter to eleven – it’s a quarter to eleven
- Five minutes to ten – it’s five minutes to ten
You should know that the English denote the time from 00 to 12 a.m. , and the time is from 12 to 00 p.m. therefore “It’s 20 minutes after 10 p.m.” is equivalent to “it’s 20 minutes past 10 in the evening”, and “It’s 10 minutes to 7 a.m.” = “It’s 10 minutes to 7 in the morning.”
Remember the following suggestions:
- What time is it (now)? What's the time? - What time is it)?
- At what time? When, what time?
- Do you know what time it is now? - Do you know what time it is?
- Could you tell me the time, please? — Tell me, please, what time is it?
- It’s midnight - It’s midnight now.
- It’s noon / It’s midday - It’s noon.
If you don’t want to say the exact time, you can say, for example, “it’s almost 10, or about 10.” To do this, you need to learn two more words “about” and “almost”
- It is about 10 o’clock in the morning - it’s already about 10 am
- It is almost 11 in the evening - it’s almost 11 pm
When addressing a person with the question “What time is it?”, do not forget to start with the standard form of politeness - “excuse me” (sorry), and you will be provided with a comprehensive answer.
We are often asked: what do English Speaking Club meetings look like? We'll tell you:) We meet and speak English for 3 hours every day. We are fun, cozy and cultural - everything you need to practice English. Want to join? It's easy - we work every day, and the first meeting is free. Just sign up - through the schedule or the registration form below.
Most frequently asked question, which potential guests ask us over the phone, sounds something like this: “What is your English Conversation Club anyway?” Here, for example, is one of our meetings at Coffeshop Company. We sit, chat, drink coffee, discuss pressing problems in English. Like? Join our meetings!
Are you visiting us for the first time and don’t know how to find a table for the English Language Club in a cafe? It’s very simple: look for a table where they speak English! Here, for example, is one of our meetings at Coffeshop Company. We are always interesting, fun and we speak only English. Like? Come!!!
Do you think that starting to speak English is very scary? 90% of the guests of our English Speaking Club think so, but... 15 minutes after the start of the meeting, they forget about the language barrier forever!!! After all, we always have the friendliest atmosphere and the best moderators who will help and advise!!!
Friends, there is always a moderator and administrator at Club meetings. The moderator organizes the discussion, and the administrator registers guests, orders drinks and resolves all other technical issues. Everything so that you can talk for 3 hours without being distracted!
Each meeting of the English Speaking Club lasts 3 hours, and all this time we talk on a specific topic. Meeting topics are published in advance on home page website so that you can prepare if you wish. For example, at this meeting the topic of Hypothetical Situations was discussed.
At each English Conversation Club meeting, we talk for 2 hours on a specific topic. Our questions are interesting, everyone has different opinions - it’s never boring!!!
Don't you know what the English Conversation Club is yet? We'll tell you:) At every Club meeting we communicate in English for 3 hours. Want to practice your English? Join us!
Those who are going to our English Language Club for the first time always ask who comes to us and whether it is easy to fit into our company. Friends, all our guests are not only smart and interesting, but also very friendly people!!! Look at the photo, you will understand everything yourself :)
Most of our guests come to the English Conversation Club to overcome the language barrier. And when it is overcome, they stay with us to practice English and... just communicate :)
Friends, at a meeting of the English Language Club, in addition to the host, there is always a person ready to take care of you, our administrator. The administrator meets you at the beginning of the meeting, registers guests, and resolves all issues. For example, Anastasia is the administrator of our meetings on Wednesdays.
If you think a cafe is too noisy for an English Conversation Club, don't worry. You'll always hear other participants, and a drink is already included in the price of admission - no need to worry about that.
Friends, have you never been to the English Speaking Club before? This is what it looks like: everyone sits, discusses questions on the topic, the presenter corrects the participants if necessary. We are always very fun, cozy and cultural - in general, the atmosphere that is needed to practice English!
At every meeting of the English Conversation Club there is always a moderator who involves everyone in the conversation, corrects minor mistakes and stops those who talk too much (it’s very easy to get carried away!). Want to practice your English? Join us!
Those who want to come to us for the first time often ask who comes to us. We answer: our guests are very different people by age, profession, etc. But they are all very positive personalities, because boring people don’t learn foreign languages!
Speaking English for 3 hours can be difficult, but it only seems so. Because at every meeting there is a topic for discussion and a moderator who not only helps and corrects, but also creates an atmosphere in which 3 hours fly by unnoticed!!!
There are many things in the English language that even native speakers cannot explain. I remember once in a personal correspondence I asked a seemingly innocent question to an Englishwoman about which would be correct: in the street or on the street. Of course, in the street, she replied, but in her next letter she got caught on the phrase c onthestreet, I was confused and couldn’t explain why I wrote it that way. I found the best answer on one of the forums: No idea, it "s just the way I"ve always said it! I mean, I have no idea, I just say that all the time. By the way, I met you there wise advice for foreign language learners: Don't look for rules, just speak as native speakers speak. Yes, but what about those who do not have the opportunity to surround themselves with native speakers? All that remains is to listen, watch, and read more in English, including on the website www.english-study-cafe.ru. Well, theoretically inthestreet is considered a British variant, and onthestreet American.
Another personal example. At a distance teaching course for teachers, I asked an American teacher how to distinguish the meaning of the word quite in sentences, because it can be translated as “quite, quite”, and “very”. The difference is still significant, for example, Heisquitetall. What is he really like: very tall or just very tall? After several attempts to give examples, the native speaker’s explanation came out like this: the meaning of the word quite, it turns out, depends on intonation! In principle, I agree, when you hear a phrase, but what if it’s a text to read?
For a long time out of habit the phrase helpsomebodyto dosomething, I used it with a particle to, that’s how we were taught at one time. And then I began to notice that the English usually say helpsomebodydosomething. I wanted to clarify. It turned out that both options are possible, but the first is less common and sounds more official. I just want to quote one of the funny explanations as it is: You just help somebody do.Why? No reason. English is full of ridiculous things like that. I know it "s crazy. I apologize! If it"s easier to put the little "to" in there, go ahead.Nobody will mind.
Yes, a lot changes in English. If earlier in subjunctive mood the word was clearly used were where by general rule I wanted to put was, then now this is not a problem - bet what you want, you won’t go wrong. The word is almost gone shall from the time of the group Future. Instead of Iliketoreadbooks now more often used Ilikereadingbooks, those. like/love+Ving. Although both are acceptable with small nuances in the difference. It turns out that the word want(to want) sounds quite official, and in everyday speech even rude. Now they say I" dliketo. And even what is familiar to you and me ofcourse at the beginning of a sentence that is an answer to a question is considered impolite, like ours with irritation Yes, of course! Although, again, a lot depends on intonation.
Yes... Live forever, learn forever. Come to my website www.english-study-cafe.ru Learn English via Skype or on your own. Here you will find free exercises for all types of activities (listening, reading, speaking, writing), tests, games, teaching aids. Materials for teachers are also available.
Questions and answersWe all dream, some based on current circumstances, some by choice, to learn English. And do it quickly and easily. We need English for work, for communication, for meeting new people. How to build a schedule for your learning and what to follow in the process of mastering the English language? This is what we will talk about.
It is not for nothing that our century has been called the century of scientific and technological progress. Changes in our lives caused by the emergence new technology and technologies are so amazing that it’s time to feel dizzy. And so that it does not become dizzy, it is necessary to use the achievements of scientific and technological progress to master all innovations.
If you have been unsuccessfully studying English for several years and think that you have no aptitude for languages, this is not so! If you really want to, you can make significant progress in the language in just 6 months! How to do this?
Sometimes it's so hard to force yourself to study English hour after work, or get up early on Sunday to read a textbook or listen to an audio recording. How to motivate yourself at such a time?
While diligently studying foreign languages, people tend to take their native language for granted. Is it possible to somehow lose the language you have spoken since childhood? However, French journalist Celine Graciet, who has been living and working in England for several years, says that forgetting your native language is not only quite possible, but even quite easy.
In our article today we will turn to an article by English teacher Michelle Shusterman, who will tell you how to master a foreign language in such a short time short term like three months.
How do you learn a foreign language? Are you in a group? Are you studying with a tutor? Are you diligently and effectively learning a language on your own? There are many approaches to learning a language, and you have probably encountered many of them. More recently, a discovery was made that could improve the learning process foreign language, especially if you are learning the language on your own...
Time is something we face every day. For example, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is look at the clock.
How often during the day do you ask the question: “What time is it?” How many times do you answer? I think more than once.
Therefore, it is very important to be able to and know how to correctly ask the time and say in English: “What time is it?”
- What do am and pm mean in English time and how to understand them?
There are a few basic phrases you can use to ask what time it is in English. The simplest and most common:
What time is it?
How much time?
What time is it now?
What time is it?
What is the time?
What time?
It is worth noting that you can ask these questions to friends, family members, colleagues and other acquaintances. When do you turn to strangers, do not forget about polite forms. “Excuse me...” (sorry) - this is how you should start your question and/or add please at the end.
Excuse me, what time is it?
Excuse me, what time is it?
What's the time, please?
Could you tell me what time it is, please?
Excuse me, what time is it now, please?
Excuse me, please tell me what time is it now?
These were the most common options for asking the time in English, so you can safely use them in life. There are several more ways.
Could you tell me the time, please?
Could you tell me the time please?
Do you know what time it is now?
Do you know what time it is now?
Could you tell me the right time, please?
Could you tell me the exact time please?
Bonus! Do you want to learn to speak English? in Moscow and find out how to start speaking English in 1 month using the ESL method!
How to say time correctly in English?
How can you tell what time it is in English? You have to be careful here. After all, on English time It is spoken completely differently than in Russian.
The answer to the question about time goes like this:
What time is it?
It is two o'clock.
Two hours.
What time is it?
It is seven o'clock.
Seven o'clock.
What time is it?
It is four o'clock.
Four o'clock.
But how do you understand what time of day you mean? For this we can use these words:
In the morning - in the morning;
In the afternoon - in the afternoon;
In the evening - in the evening;
At night - at night.
It is eight o’clock in the evening.
Eight o'clock in the evening.
It is three o'clock in the afternoon.
Three PM.
It is one o'clock at night.
It's one o'clock in the morning.
The most commonly used designations in English to indicate the time of day are: AM and PM. I note that in the official writing we use only these notations.
What do AM and PM mean in English tense and how to understand them?We are used to having 24 hours in a day. “It’s 22:00,” we can answer in Russian, meaning that it’s ten o’clock in the evening. The US, UK and many other countries use a 12-hour clock. According to it, the day is divided into two halves of 12 hours each: before noon (AM) and after noon (PM).
This is not entirely familiar to us, which is why most people have difficulties here. Now let’s break everything down so you can understand it.
What does A M stand for?
AM (from the Latin ante meridiem - before noon) - this interval begins at 12 o'clock at night (midnight) and ends at 12 o'clock in the afternoon (noon). That is, it lasts from 00:00 to 12:00.
This is how we tell time using AM:
It's two AM.
Two o'clock in the morning. (2:00)
It's ten AM.
Ten in the morning. (10:00)
It's five AM.
Five in the morning. (5:00)
Please note that we no longer put o"clock at the end of the sentence. There is no need to use it with AM and PM.
What does PM stand for?
P M (from the Latin post meridiem - after noon) - this interval begins at 12 noon (noon) and ends at 12 midnight (midnight). That is, it lasts from 12:00 to 00:00.
This is how we tell time using PM:
It's two PM
Two o'clock in the afternoon. (14:00)
It's ten PM
Ten pm. (22:00)
It's five PM
Five in the evening. (17:00)
How to call time in English with minutes? After all, we almost always speak both hours and minutes. Here are two ways:
1. We say numbers.
This is the simplest and most understandable way. In this case, we call only 2 numbers. The first digit indicates hours, and the second - minutes.
It's eight twenty two.
Eight hours twenty two minutes. (8:22)
It's one forty.
It's one forty. (13:40)
It's two sixteen.
Two hours and sixteen minutes. (2:16)
2. We use the prepositions to and past.
In this case we indicate the hour and minutes. Since this method is more common, let's look at it in more detail.
Use of past
Past (after) is used to show how many minutes have PASSED after any hour. For example, after 13:00, 19:00, 23:00, etc.
We use this preposition only when the minute hand is on the right half of the clock, that is, it shows minutes from 1 to 30.
Look at the examples and everything will become clear right away. Pay attention to the translation!
It’s thirteen minutes past seven. (7:13)
Thirteen minutes past eight.
It's twenty five minutes past one. (1:25)
Twenty-five minutes past two.
It's ten minutes past nine. (9:10)
Ten minutes past nine .
How do we translate into Russian?
Russian logic is slightly different from English, and this is worth paying attention to when translating. Let's look at an example.
Use of to
To (to) is used to show how many minutes are left before a certain hour. For example, until 13:00, 19:00, 23:00, etc.
We use this preposition if the minute hand is in the left half, that is, from 31 to 59 minutes.
For example, if we see 5:53 on the clock, then we say that there are 7 minutes left until 6 o'clock.
It's twelve to five. (4:48)
It's twelve minutes to five.
It's five minutes to nine. (8:55)
Five minutes to nine.
It's ten minutes to three. (2:50)
Ten minutes to three.
And this is how it is translated into Russian. Let's look at the Russian/English analogy.
How to say half of such and such an hour (30 minutes)?In Russian, we often say not thirty minutes past twelve, but half past twelve. We can say this in English too, using the word half. We can only use this word with the preposition past. By the way, pay attention to the translation! The British have a very simple logic - they simply look at what the clock is showing now and call that particular hour.
It's half past five. (5:30)
Half past five. (Literally: half after five.)
It's half past two. (2:30)
Half past two. (Literally: half after two.)
It's half past six. (6:30)
Half past six. (Literally: half after six.)
Why do we use past? Because “to”, that is, “before” for us begins at 31 minutes, and 30 minutes is included in the past zone. The British believe that 30 minutes is still closer to the hour that is ticking. But from the 31st minute everything changes...
How do you say quarter of an hour (15 minutes)?
In English (as in Russian) we use the word quarter - quarter (15 minutes). We can use Quarter with both to and past.
If we are talking about the beginning of the hour (15 minutes on the clock), then we use past . That is, we show that 15 minutes have passed after some hour.
It's quarter past three. (3:15)
Quarter past four. (Literally: a quarter after three.)
It's quarter past seven. (7:15)
Quarter past seven. (Literally: a quarter after seven.)
It's quarter past eleven. (11:15)
Quarter past eleven. (Literally: a quarter after eleven.)
If we are talking about the end of the hour (45 minutes on the clock), then we use to .
In this case, we show that there are 15 minutes left until a certain hour. That is, 45 minutes have already passed.
It's quarter to three. (2:45)
A quarter to three. (Literally: a quarter to three.)
It's quarter to seven. (6:45)
A quarter to seven. (Literally: a quarter to seven.)
It's quarter to two. (1:45)
A quarter to two. (Literally: a quarter to two.)
What to do now? To easily name and say the time, you need to develop a skill, that is, bring it to automaticity. Now, when you see a clock, always think (or better yet, say) how it will be in English. Start with the task below.
Reinforcement taskIn the meantime, let’s practice, translate into English:
What time is it now?
Excuse me, what time is it now?
It's 5 minutes past six (It's 5 minutes after 6).
It's 15 minutes past two.
It's now 10 minutes to eight in the morning.
It's 20 minutes past five in the afternoon.
It's half past two now.
Write your answers in the comments, and in 3 days I will post the correct options and you can test yourself.
