Thursday 15 October 2015

VOCABULARY - TELLING THE TIME IN ENGLISH


- ASKING AND TELLING THE TIME:

Question: What time is it? / What’s the time?
Answer: It’s…

- THE MAIN STRUCTURES IN ENGLISH:

1. HOUR + O'CLOCK: (= Spanish)

Two o'clock, five o'clock, ten o'clock.

2. MINUTES/ QUARTER/HALF + PAST/ TO + HOUR: (≠ Spanish)

Seven past five, ten to eight, quarter to nine, half past twelve.

- IMPORTANT EXPRESSIONS:

IN SPANISH

IN ENGLISH

EXAMPLES

En punto

O’clock

Diez en punto: ten o’clock

Y cuarto

(A) quarter past

Diez y cuarto: (a) quarter past ten

Menos cuarto

(A) quarter to

Diez menos cuarto: (a) quarter to ten

Y cinco

Five past

Diez y cinco: five past ten

Menos cinco

Five to

Diez menos cinco:  five to ten

Y media

Half past

Diez y media: half past ten


- USEFUL WORDS:

Midday, noon: (12:00) Mediodía. Example: At noon à a mediodía.
Midnight: (0:00) Medianoche. Example: At midnight à a medianoche.

Attention:
a.m: (Ante Meridiem = "before noon") Antes del mediodía. Example:  At 8:00 a.m.
p.m: (Post Meridiem = "after noon") Después del mediodía. Example: At 8:00 p.m.

- PREPOSITION OF TIME: “AT” (Spanish: “a”)

Question: (At) What time?
Answer: At…

Examples:

(At) What time is Science? It’s at ten o’clock.
(At) What time is the break time? It’s at (a) quarter to twelve.
(At) What time is your last class? It’s at half past one.