How to Read the Clock in English? Check out the Easy Guide

Illustration - clock alias timekeeping device (photo: Pixabay/Obpia30)

YOGYAKARTA - How to read the clock in English is one of the basic skills that must be mastered, especially for students and students. Understanding the mention of time is often used in everyday conversations, both in formal and informal situations.

It's worth noting that the system of mentioning time in English is different from Indonesian. Terms such as past, to, quarter, and half often cause confusion. Therefore, understanding the basic concepts and patterns of reading will be very helpful in mastering this ability quickly and effectively.

Writing the Clock in English

Referring to the book Vocabulary is Easy: A Complete and Quick Guide to Mastering English Vocabilary by Bagus Legowo, there are two ways to read the clock in English that can be used, namely the American style and the British style.

In practice, the British style is more often used and considered more appropriate. In the British style, the mention of time starts from the minutes first, then followed by the desired or skipped hours.

In general, the pattern of writing and reading the clock with the British style is as follows:

Minutes + Past/To + Hours

The past word is used to indicate the minutes that have passed the clock, while to is used to indicate the minutes to the next hour.

For example:

05.10 read ten past five

09.20 is read twenty past nine

06.05 dibaca five past six

Meanwhile, in the American style, the way to read and write the clock is done by mentioning the hour number first, then followed by the minute.

Examples of using American style include:

07.30 dibaca seven thirty

06.30 dibaca six thirty

10.05 read ten o five

04.25 read four twenty five

How to Read the Clock in English

To understand how to read the clock in English, there are several important things to consider.

Referring to the English Teaching Module compiled by Santy Agustin, the following are some common time vocabulary:

o’clock: exactly past: more to: less than half: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half past: more than half past: exactly half

The term o'clock is used to indicate the exact time, quarter is used to express a difference of 15 minutes, while half indicates a difference of 30 minutes. For more details, see the following explanation.

Exact Time

The exact time is used when the minute hand is at the number 12. In this condition, we just mention the clock followed by o'clock.

For example:

It’s seven o’clock = seven o’clock (07.00) It’s nine o’clock = nine o’clock (09.00)

The clock is less used when the minute hand shows more than 30 minutes. The way to say it is by counting the remaining minutes to the next hour using the word to.

For example:

50 is read as ten to three (ten minutes less three hours) 45 is read as a quarter to four (fifteen minutes less four hours)More than an hour

The hour is more valid when the minute needle is between the 1st minute to the 30th minute. To express it, the word past is used.

Example:

10 dibaca ten past nine (nine o'clock plus ten minutes) 15 dibaca a quarter past ten (ten o'clock plus fifteen minutes) Use of AM and PM

In English, the description of day and night time is distinguished by the AM (ante meridiem) and PM (post meridiem) systems. This system uses a 12-hour format, even though a day consists of 24 hours.

AM is used for the time from 00.00 to 12.00 noon

PM is used for the time from 12.00 noon to 00.00 midnight

for example:

07.00 PM = seven o'clock in the afternoon

07.00 AM = seven o'clock in the morning

That's the explanation of how to read the clock in English. Come on, visit VOI.id to get other interesting information.