It’s time to learn how to tell the time in English!
Talking about time in English for kids might feel like a challenge when they are beginning to learn about the concept of time and reading the clock. But regular practice can make anything possible. It is not practical to expect kids to start reading clocks fluently without familiarising them with the real sense of time. To develop the skills of talking about time for kids, they need to understand the past, present, and future. Knowing these concepts will help them organise their routine and understand time better and deeper.
A child must learn how to tell the time in English from an early age to participate in daily conversations that involve the telling of time. Children also face such scenarios every day when they talk about time in English, like their friends might ask them, “When do you reach home?” Or “At what time can you come outside to play?” There are many other questions kids deal with every day where they feel the need to read the clock. Reading out the numbers from the clock is not a task, but initially, framing the time in proper sentences might be challenging.
Let’s take a look at various phrases and words related to the different times of the day and learn how to tell the time in English:
For Morning.
The morning time stays till 12:00 pm in the afternoon. So, you can use the word ‘morning’ to talk about time in English before the clock strikes twelve in the day.
Examples of how to use ‘morning’ in the sentence:
1. Hello, Good morning, ma’am/sir! (For general greetings)
2. I wake up early in the morning.
3. I go for a walk with my father early in the morning.
For Afternoon.
Afternoon or just ‘noon’ is when the clock displays 12:00 pm.
Examples of how to use ‘noon’ in the sentence:
1. Hello, good afternoon! (For general greetings)
2. What are your lunch hours?
My lunch hours are from noon to one.
3. I feel sleepy at noon.
For Midnight.
Midnight is the middle of the night when the clock strikes 12:00 am. From the midnight hour, another day starts.
Examples of the use of midnight to talk about the time in English:
1. My sister celebrated my birthday at midnight.
2. People celebrate the new year at midnight.
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Check out these English words to talk about time and the past effectively.
Every day we face situations where we have to talk about time in English. Imagine what will happen if we suddenly forget how to read the clock. We’ll have a hard time organising our routine and even arranging meetups with other people. Moreover, our lives would’ve been chaotic if we didn’t know how to talk about the time in English. Similarly, kids also need to learn how to tell the time in English to carry out their daily conversations and manage their routine effectively. Knowing the correct use of words and phrases in the ‘clock world’ is necessary. It is not hard to talk about time in English for kids if they get effective training and practice. Let’s take a look at the following English words to talk about time and past effectively:
Time O’Clock
“O’clock” is the most common and easy way of talking about time in English. It means ‘of the clock’ and is used when you mention the time on the hour. Remember, you can only use O’clock when there are no minutes involved. Let’s check out its uses below:
1. My mother wakes me up at 7 o’clock every day.
2. My school bus arrives at my home at 8 o’clock every day.
When there are minutes involved
How to talk about time in English when there are minutes involved? It’s easy! Let’s take a look at the ways below to learn how to read a clock with the minutes:
Imagine the clock has just struck 8 am.
After 5 minutes, the time will be…
Five past eight.
After 10 minutes, the time will be…
Ten past eight.
After 15 minutes…
Fifteen past eight.
You can describe the exact time by mentioning the minutes at the beginning of your sentence, followed by the hour. However, this is not the only way. Let’s see how else we can talk about time in English:
Imagine the clock has struck 8:30 in the morning. The time would be 8:30 am.
After 5 minutes, the time will be…
Eight thirty-five.
After 10 minutes, the time will be…
Eight forty.
After 15 minutes, the time will be…
Eight forty-five or quarter to nine.
You can describe the exact time by mentioning the hour first, followed by the minutes.
Other ways for talking about time in English for kids:
- Quarter to: If the clock reads 8:45, we can say it multiple ways. “It’s eight forty-five” or “quarter to nine”.
- Quarter past: If the clock reads 8:15, we can say either “Eight fifteen” or “quarter past eight”, as it is fifteen minutes past eight.
- Half-past: If the clock reads 8:30, we can say, “it’s half-past eight”, or simply “eight-thirty”.
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Why is it important to learn how to tell the time in English?
Talking about time in English is as important for kids as for adults. There are numerous occasions in a single day when we have to mention the time to a person or discuss our routine with a person. Consider the following questions:
- Hey, what time is it?
- At what time did you wake up today?
- When will you come to play?
- When do you go to bed?
- At what time should I call you?
- When do you get free usually?
- At what time does the bus arrive at your place?
Our kids face such questions every day. But to answer these questions, they need to learn how to tell the time in English. Kids are pretty good at identifying numbers and using them in their normal conversations, but talking about the time in English is rather a task. But with regular practice and the awareness of certain words and phrases, they will be easily able to learn how to tell the time in English.
Although talking about time in English for kids doesn’t only help them in the making communication effectively. The concept of time helps an individual on so many levels. We organise our whole day in different pockets of time. If we were unaware of time, our lives would have been chaotic and unproductive. Learning how to tell the time in English doesn’t only include the ability to read a clock. It also makes children aware of the three temporal units of our being: the past, present, and future. Moreover, talking about time in English for kids enables them to organise their routine effectively as they gain a better perspective about time and utilise their day more productively.
To give your child the best online training in English speaking and developing skills of talking about time for kids, get your kid enrolled now at PlanetSpark!
What are the ways of talking about time in English for kids?
Talking about time in English for kids might feel overwhelming initially, but it is not as complicated as it seems. We look at the clock numerous times in a day. We all know that we cannot function effectively if we don’t know how to talk about time in English. There are so many instances in a single day when we have to mention the time to a person or schedule a meeting or an appointment. If we were not aware of the correct English words to talk about the time and past, we wouldn’t be able to communicate with people effectively. Similarly, the kids need to understand the correct usage of several phrases when talking about time in English. Let’s check out the various ways in which we can talk about time:
When we describe time on the hour…
The use of o’clock is pretty common when scheduling appointments or describing a habit aligned to a certain hour. When we mention the time in o’clock to someone, it describes the hour on the clock. There are no minutes involved.
Examples:
1. I have an appointment with the dentist at 3 o’clock today.
2. I wake up at 7 o’clock every day.
3. My neighbour takes his dog for a walk at 6 pm daily.
The use of ‘noon’ or ‘afternoon’.
While talking about time in English, we use ‘noon’ when the clock strikes 12:00 pm. So, if we have to talk about an event held at 12 in the afternoon, we need not mention 12:00 pm, the word ‘noon’ will suffice. And ‘afternoon’ is the time of the day between 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm, which means it starts after the noontime literally.
Examples:
1. I have my lunch break from noon to one.
2. I will leave for the office at noon today.
3. Fix my appointment with the client at noon.
The use of ‘midnight’.
While talking about time in English for kids, the word ‘midnight’ is used to describe the time when the clock strikes 12 am. After the clock strikes 12 in the night, another day begins.
Examples:
1. My parents always celebrate my birthday at midnight.
2. My father scolds my brother whenever he sleeps at midnight.
3. It started raining at midnight.
The use of ‘morning’.
Morning is technically the time from 12 am to 12 pm. But we can say that our morning starts when we wake up anytime before 12 pm. Let’s take a look at the examples of the use of the word morning while talking about time in English for kids:
Examples:
1. Today, I woke up early in the morning.
2. My parents go out for a walk every morning.
3. It is important to exercise in the morning.
Questions to learn how to talk about time in English:
1. At what time do you sleep every day?
2. When do you come to school?
3. When is your lunch break?
4. At what time can I call you in the evening?
5. When do you go out to play?
6. What is the time of your favourite show?
Learn how to tell the time in English and many other communication skills with the comprehensive curriculum of PlanetSpark’s online courses. Book a demo session NOW!
How to develop the skill of talking about time in English for kids?
Talking about time in English for kids is an important aspect of their lives. We face many situations during our daily conversations where we need English words to talk about time and the past. Imagine if we were not aware of such words and phrases, then it would be so difficult to discuss our daily routine and keep track of time. It is equally important for kids to develop their skill of talking about time in English. So, let’s take a look at some useful tips to learn how to tell the time in English:
How to talk about time in English using Prepositions?
There are three main prepositions of time: ‘at’, ‘in’, and ‘on’. With these prepositions’ help, you can easily learn how to tell the time in English. Let’s understand with some examples:
Using ‘At’
The preposition ‘at’ describes a specific time on the clock, a specific day, or an event.
- I am going to be in Paris at Christmas. We have to check out from the hotel at 12:00 pm.
- Let’s take a lunch break at 1:30 pm.
- My brother comes back home late at night.
- We watch our favourite TV show at night.
Using ‘ON’
‘On” is again a preposition used to talk about a particular day, event, or specific date on the calendar. Let’s try to understand with examples.
- I have to submit an assignment on 15th March. We will have a party on my birthday!
- My sister is returning home on Tuesday.
- She seemed happy on her wedding day.
- Let’s go out for dinner on Saturday.
Using ‘In’
‘In’ is used in a general sense while talking about time in English. It doesn’t describe a specific event or time on the clock. Check out some examples below to understand how to talk about time in English using ‘In’:
- My mother woke me up early in the morning.
- My sister was born in 1996, that’s why she is two years younger than me.
- Let’s plan a vacation in the winter this year.
- I have to go out for a walk in the evening.
- Jane is coming in February.
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Frequently asked questions regarding talking about time in English.
1. How to teach my child how to tell the time in English?
Talking about time in English can initially be challenging for kids, but you can make them practice regularly by reading out time from the clock. Gradually you can introduce your kids to advanced ways of describing the time. It won’t be difficult for them to read out the numbers so that you can start with easier talking about time in English like “eight-thirty”, “nine-fifteen”, etc.
For effective training about how to tell the time in English and other daily conversation skills, get your kid enrolled now at PlanetSpark!
2. Does this lesson also teach the use of ‘of’, ‘for’, and ‘since’ in English?
Yes, our comprehensive curriculum covers all aspects of the English language for fluency development in every kid.
3. What are the benefits of learning to tell the time in English?
Time plays a crucial role in all of our lives. If we didn’t know the right English words to talk about time and the past, we wouldn’t be able to communicate effectively with other people and organise our day most productively. Learning how to tell the time in English will also give the children a deeper understanding of time to plan their routine effectively.
4. What are the different English words used to talk about time and the past?
Time can be read in several ways, including on the hour. For instance, when we say 8 o’clock, we mention the specific hour of the clock. To mention the minutes, we can do it in two ways. For instance, the time is fifteen past eight, and the other way of saying it would be eight-fifteen. The effective use of prepositions like “at”, “in”, and “on” is also essential while talking about time in English.
