Important verbs for asking about and telling time:
have, know, be, tell
Click for the audio.
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.
Watch this video:
Important vocabulary for telling time
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 past = 15 minutes after the hour (3:15 = It’s a quarter past three.)
a quarter before = 15 minutes before the hour( 3:45 = It’s a quarter before four )
a quarter to = 15 minutes before the hour (3:45 = It’s a quarter to 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
Questions:
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)
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.
When were you born? —-> March 25, 1965
When did you arrive in the U.S.? —-> In 2012.
When is the next election? —-> In November of 2020.
Click for the audio.