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Issue — September 2026
Telling the Time and Talking About the Day

Telling the Time and Talking About the Day

A2 Grammar 68 sentences
Telling the Time and Talking About the Day 0 / 68

Learn how to say the time and describe parts of the day in everyday English.

Explanation

English uses a few simple patterns to tell the time.

Exact hours use o'clock:

  • 7:00 = seven o'clock
  • 12:00 = twelve o'clock

30 minutes past the hour uses half past:

  • 7:30 = half past seven

15 minutes uses quarter:

  • 7:15 = quarter past seven
  • 7:45 = quarter to eight (15 minutes before 8:00)

Other minutes use past or to:

  • 7:10 = ten past seven
  • 7:50 = ten to eight

We also use am for morning and pm for afternoon and evening. For example, 7:00 am is seven o'clock in the morning; 7:00 pm is seven o'clock in the evening.

Parts of the day:

  • Morning: from waking up to about 12:00 (noon)
  • Afternoon: from 12:00 to about 5 or 6 pm
  • Evening: from about 5 or 6 pm to bedtime
  • Night: the time you sleep, or late hours

Prepositions: we say in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening, but at night. Noon is 12:00 in the middle of the day, and midnight is 12:00 at night.

Examples

  • I wake up at seven o'clock in the morning.
  • School starts at half past eight.
  • We have lunch at quarter past twelve.
  • The film finishes at ten to ten in the evening.
  • I go to bed at midnight.
  • She reads a book in the evening.
  • They work hard during the day.
  • I can't sleep at night.
  • My brother comes home at a quarter to six in the afternoon.
  • We meet at noon for a coffee.
Telling the Time and Talking About the Day — image 2

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong preposition at night. ❌ I study in the night. ✅ I study at night.
  2. Confusing past and to. ❌ Half past to seven. ✅ Half past seven.
  3. Forgetting o'clock. ❌ It is seven (alone). ✅ It is seven o'clock.
  4. Wrong preposition in the morning. ❌ At the morning. ✅ In the morning.
  5. Confusing 24-hour time. ❌ It is fourteen o'clock. ✅ It is two o'clock (pm).
  6. Quarter confusion. ❌ Quarter to eight = 8:15. ✅ Quarter to eight = 7:45.

In real life

At a bus stop, Saturday morning.

Anna: Excuse me, what time is it?

Ben: It's half past ten.

Anna: In the morning? Already?

Ben: Yes! The bus comes at a quarter to eleven.

Anna: Great. I have a music class at eleven o'clock.

Ben: Do you want a coffee first?

Anna: Sorry, no time. I have lunch with my family at noon.

Ben: OK, see you this afternoon then!

Anna: See you later!

Quiz

0/5

  1. 1How do you say 7:30 in English?

    We use 'half past' + the hour for 30 minutes past the hour.

  2. 2Which preposition do we usually use with 'night'?

    We say 'at night', but 'in the morning / afternoon / evening'.

  3. 3What is 'midnight'?

    Midnight is 12:00 at night, when the day changes to a new one.

  4. 4What time is 'quarter to eight'?

    'Quarter to eight' is 15 minutes before 8:00, so it is 7:45.

  5. 5Which sentence is correct?

    We use 'at' before the time and 'in the morning' to describe the part of day.