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. |
