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Lesson Seventeen
Verbs for Asking About and Telling Time
Important verbs for asking about and telling time:
have, know, be, tell
Click for the audio.
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Questions:
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Answers:
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| Do you have the time? |
Sure, it’s 6:00.
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| 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. |
Watch this video:
Important vocabulary for telling time
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o’clock = :00 ( 7:00 = seven o’clock )
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a quarter after = 15 minutes after the hour ( 3:15 = It’s a quarter after three.)
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a quarter past = 15 minutes after the hour (3:15 = It’s a quarter past three.)
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a quarter before = 15 minutes before the hour( 3:45 = It’s a quarter before four )
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a quarter to = 15 minutes before the hour (3:45 = It’s a quarter to four.)
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half past = 30 minutes after the hour ( 11:30 = It’s half past eleven)
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thirty = 30 minutes after the hour. (11:30 = It’s eleven thirty.)
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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.”
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Giving the Date
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Questions:
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Answers:
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What’s today?
or
What day is it today?
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Today’s Tuesday, June 6.
(June sixth)
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| What’s the date? |
It’s June 6. or It’s the 6th of June. |
There’s a difference between “day” and “date“
When someone asks you the date, it’s not necessary to give the year. For example:
Make sure you use ordinal numbers when you say the date. You can listen to the way I say the date every day on my blog. When someone asks about time in the future or the past, use the year.
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When were you born? —-> March 25, 1965
When did you arrive in the U.S.? —-> In 2012.
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When is the next election? —-> In November of 2020.
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