What's The Time?

How to tell the time in English

a.m. - p.m.

a.m. = ante meridiem = the time from midnight to noon = from 00:00 to 12:00

p.m. = post meridiem = the time from noon to midnight = from 12:00 to 24:00

The 24-hour clock is the most commonly used time notation in the world today.

But in English speaking countries the 12-hour clock is the dominant system of time

written and spoken.

The 24-hour clock is only used by the military in the United States and Canada.

24-hour and 12-hour clock

Examples:
     
24-hour 12-hour  
11:00 11 a.m. It's eleven o'clock a.m.
23:00 11 p.m. It's eleven o'clock p.m.
 10:30 10.30 a.m. It's half past ten a.m.
22:30 10:30 p.m. It's half past ten p.m.
04:45 4:45 a.m. It's a quarter to five a.m.
16:45 4:45 p.m. It's a quarter to five p.m.
08:15 8:15 a.m. It's a quarter past eight a.m.
20:15 8:15 p.m. It's a quarter past eight p.m.
09:10 9:10 a.m. It's ten (minutes) past nine a.m.
11:20 11:20 a.m. It' twenty (minutes) past eleven a.m.
21:50 9:50 p.m. It's ten (minutes) to ten p.m.
19:40 7:40 p.m. It's twenty (minutes) to eight p.m.
 

Asking for the time

There are two questions to ask for the time: What's the time? or What time is it?

Some or Any
We use some and any with uncountable nouns and with countable nouns in the
plural when we don't know the exact amount.

Use of some

SOME:

1. In sentences you expect a positive answer and with demands

Examples: I bought some very nice postcards. Give me some orange juice, please.

2. In polite questions or requests or if we expect the answer "YES".

Examples: Would you like some more coffee?

Use of any

ANY:

1. In questions: Have you got any blue shoes?

2. In negations: No, I haven't got any.

3. In conditional clauses: If I had any, I would wear them.

4. We use any with never, without and hardly: They hardly do any homework.

Compound words with some and any

They are used the same way as some and any.

Talking about people: somebody - anybody = someone - anyone

I didn't know anyone at the meeting. I had to ask someone to find the hotel.

Talking about things: something - anything

We don't have anything to eat. He saw something in his garden.

Talking about places: somewhere - anywhere

We didn't go anywhere last weekend. They stayed somewhere near Manchester.