Blue Level Lessons
1
Be
2
Be - Negatives
3
Be - Questions
4
Nouns / Pronouns
5
This/That These/Those
6
There
7
Present Tense
8
Present Continuous
9
Have
10
Articles
11
Prepositions
12
The Past Tense
13
Information Questions
14
Possessive Adjectives
15
Possessive Pronouns
16
Be - Past Tense
17
Time, Day, and Date
18
The Months of the Year
19
Count & Noncount Nouns
20
The Days of the Week


 


 

 
Blue Level

Lesson Seventeen

Telling Time

Important verbs for asking about and telling time:

have, know, be, tell

Questions:
Answers:
Do you have the time?
Sure, it's 6:00.
Do you know what time it is? Sorry, I'm not wearing a watch.
What time is it? 5:50
Can you tell me what time it is, please? It's a quarter after two.

 

Important vocabulary

o'clock = :00

( 7:00 = seven o'clock )

---

a quarter after = 15 minutes after the hour

( 3:15 = It's a quarter after three )

---

a quarter before = 15 minutes before the hour

( 3:45 = It's a quarter before four )

 

half past = 30 minutes after the hour

( 11:30 = It's half past eleven. )

---

thirty = 30 minutes after the hour.

(11:30 = It's eleven thirty.)

---

The easiest way to tell someone the time is to use a digital format. For example, when someone asks you what time it is, you can say, "It's 5:30." Instead of, "It's half past five."

"It's 5:13." = (five thirteen)

or

"It's 5:02." (five o two)*

or

"It's 5:50." (five fifty)

 

*Note: 0 is pronounced "O" not "zero."

 

Giving the Date

Question:
Answers:

What's today?

or

What day is it today?

Today's Tuesday, June 6. (June sixth)
What's the date? It's June 6. or It's the 6th of June.

 

 There's a difference between "day" and "date"

  • day: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.
  • date: June 6

 

 When someone asks you the date, it's not necessary to give the year. For example:

  • What's the date? ----> It's June 6.  (Not It's June 6, 2005)

 

When someone asks about time in the future or the past, use the year.

  • When were you born? ----> March 25, 1965
  • When did you arrive in the U.S.? ----> In 2002.
  • When is the next election? ----> In November of 2010.

 

Next: Lesson Eighteen