Unit 8 · What's the time?
What's the time? It's seven o'clock. For a time between hours, 7:15 is a quarter past seven, 7:30 is half past seven and 7:45 is a quarter to eight. English 1AC Unit 8, What's the time?, connects clock expressions to a daily routine and helps you choose What, When and Where in simple questions.
By the end of this lesson, you can
- Ask for the time and answer with It's
- Read whole-hour, quarter-hour and half-hour times
- Distinguish past from to and digital from word forms
- Use at, in and on with familiar time expressions
- Read a short personal schedule for specific details
- Recognise sm, sn, st and sk at the beginning of words
- Write an ordered paragraph about a day using routine verbs
Before you startNumbers 1–60 · Present simple routines with I and he/she · Days of the week and common daily activities
Un bon cours, ça se partage.
How do you ask and answer What's the time?
Definition
Asking for the time : What's the time? and What time is it? both ask for the current clock time. Answer with It's + time: It's eight o'clock. It's is the short form of it is.
Say Excuse me before asking someone you do not know: Excuse me, what time is it? A friendly answer is It's eight o'clock. The question asks for a clock time, while What time do you get up? asks for the time of a particular activity.
| Question | Answer | What is requested? |
|---|---|---|
| What's the time? | It's seven o'clock. | The time now |
| What time do you get up? | I get up at seven. | The time of a routine activity |
| When do you read? | I read in the evening. | A time or part of the day |
How do you say o'clock, quarter past and half past?
| Digital time | Word expression | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | seven o'clock | Exactly seven, with no minutes after it |
| 07:15 | a quarter past seven | Fifteen minutes after seven |
| 07:30 | half past seven | Thirty minutes after seven |
| 07:45 | a quarter to eight | Fifteen minutes before eight |
A quarter is fifteen minutes because an hour has four quarters. Half an hour is thirty minutes. Past counts forward from the hour that has already begun. To counts the minutes remaining before the next hour. At 7:45, that next hour is eight.
Remember
Use o'clock only for an exact hour: seven o'clock, not seven thirty o'clock. At 7:45, say a quarter to eight, not a quarter to seven. Half past seven means 7:30.
Can you read the digital numbers instead?
Yes. 7:15 can be seven fifteen; 7:30 can be seven thirty; 7:45 can be seven forty-five. These forms and the past/to forms describe the same times. Use one clear form in your answer instead of combining them.
Step by step
Read a time using past or to
- Read the hour and minutes separately.
- At :00, use the hour + o'clock.
- Up to :30, count minutes past the displayed hour.
- After :30, find how many minutes remain before the next hour.
- At :45, say a quarter to the next hour.
- Check by turning the words back into a digital time.
Work out 08:50
The display says 08:50. There are ten minutes left before nine.
- The next hour is nine.
- Sixty minus fifty leaves ten minutes.
- Say It's ten to nine. You can also say It's eight fifty.
How do morning, afternoon, evening and night fit a day?
| Expression | Example | Useful detail |
|---|---|---|
| in the morning | I have breakfast in the morning. | The earlier part of the day before noon |
| in the afternoon | I do homework in the afternoon. | The part after noon and before evening |
| in the evening | We have dinner in the evening. | The later part of the day |
| at night | I sleep at night. | Use at in this expression |
| at noon | The clock shows twelve at noon. | 12:00 in the middle of the day |
| at midnight | Midnight begins a new day. | 00:00 on a 24-hour clock |
Morning, afternoon and evening do not all have one exact clock boundary in everyday speech. Add a specific time when precision matters. Seven in the morning is 07:00; seven in the evening is 19:00. Learn 12 noon and 12 midnight to avoid confusion around twelve.
When do you use at, in and on?
| Preposition | Use here | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| at | A clock time and certain fixed phrases | at eight; at half past six; at night |
| in | A part of the day | in the morning; in the afternoon; in the evening |
| on | A named day | on Monday; on Friday morning |
Compare I read in the morning with I read on Monday morning. Adding a named day changes the phrase to on. Use at in a full routine sentence: I go to bed at nine. An answer beginning It's gives the clock time directly: It's nine, without at.
Reading: how does Sami organise his day?
My name is Sami. On school days, I get up at seven in the morning. I have breakfast at half past seven. At eight, I go to school. I go home in the afternoon and do my homework at half past four. We have dinner at seven in the evening. I read a little, then go to bed at nine. On Sunday, my routine is different.
| Sami's activity | Time in the text | 24-hour form |
|---|---|---|
| get up | seven in the morning | 07:00 |
| have breakfast | half past seven | 07:30 |
| go to school | eight in the morning | 08:00 |
| do homework | half past four in the afternoon | 16:30 |
| have dinner | seven in the evening | 19:00 |
| go to bed | nine at night | 21:00 |
This is Sami's invented schedule, not a rule for every pupil. The text gives six activity times but does not say exactly when he arrives home. To answer What time does Sami do homework?, use He does his homework at half past four. Notice does in the positive answer and do in the question after does.
What, When or Where: which question word do you need?
| Word | Asks about | Question and answer |
|---|---|---|
| What | A thing or activity | What do you do after school? I read. |
| What time | A clock time | What time do you read? At eight. |
| When | A time, day or period | When do you play chess? On Friday. |
| Where | A place | Where do you read? In the library. |
Choose the word from the information missing. If the answer is a place, Where fits. If it is a clock reading, What time is a precise choice, and When may also be possible in a suitable context. Do not force a place answer into a time question.
Phonics: how do you practise sm, sn, st and sk?
| Blend | Examples | Short phrase |
|---|---|---|
| sm | smile, small | a small clock |
| sn | snake, snow | white snow |
| st | star, stop | a bright star |
| sk | skate, skip | skip a rope |
Start directly with the s sound and move into the next consonant. Avoid adding a vowel before s or between the two consonants. Say smile, snow, stop and skip while a partner points to the matching spelling. Practise the beginnings first, then the complete words.
Writing: how do you describe your day in order?
Step by step
Turn a schedule into a paragraph
- Choose four or five activities from a real or invented day.
- Put them in time order.
- Use present simple verbs and add at before the clock times.
- Add morning or evening when a time could be unclear.
- Connect activities with then or after that.
- Check go home, have breakfast and go to bed as complete phrases.
A short school-day paragraph
I get up at a quarter past seven. I have breakfast at half past seven. Then I go to school at eight. In the afternoon, I do my homework at five. I go to bed at nine in the evening.
- Every time fits the order of the activities.
- At introduces clock times; in introduces parts of the day.
- Change the times to describe your own character accurately.
Partner challenge: write a digital time secretly. Say it using past or to while your partner writes the digits. Swap roles, then put three correct times into routine sentences. If a pair disagrees, check the next hour first: it is the common source of mistakes with to.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell the time in English 1AC Unit 8?
What is the difference between past and to?
When should I use o'clock?
How do I write about my day in English?
How do I choose What, When or Where?
Quiz: 20 questions
20 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 24-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.
Q1Which question asks for the time now?
Incorrect answer
What time is it? asks for the current clock time.
Correct answer: What time is it?
What time is it? asks for the current clock time.
Q209:00 is…
Incorrect answer
Use o'clock when the minutes are exactly :00.
Correct answer: nine o'clock.
Use o'clock when the minutes are exactly :00.
Q308:15 is…
Incorrect answer
Fifteen minutes after eight is a quarter past eight.
Correct answer: a quarter past eight.
Fifteen minutes after eight is a quarter past eight.
Q4Half past six means…
Incorrect answer
Half past means thirty minutes after the named hour.
Correct answer: 06:30.
Half past means thirty minutes after the named hour.
Q5A quarter to ten means…
Incorrect answer
At 09:45 there are fifteen minutes left before ten.
Correct answer: 09:45.
At 09:45 there are fifteen minutes left before ten.
Q6Ten to nine means…
Incorrect answer
Ten minutes before nine is 08:50.
Correct answer: 08:50.
Ten minutes before nine is 08:50.
Q7Another way to say 07:45 is…
Incorrect answer
Reading the digital numbers as seven forty-five is also correct.
Correct answer: seven forty-five.
Reading the digital numbers as seven forty-five is also correct.
Q8Complete: I get up … seven.
Incorrect answer
At is used before a clock time in a routine sentence.
Correct answer: at
At is used before a clock time in a routine sentence.
Q9Complete: We read … the evening.
Incorrect answer
The phrase is in the evening.
Correct answer: in
The phrase is in the evening.
Q10Complete: The club meets … Monday.
Incorrect answer
Use on before a named day.
Correct answer: on
Use on before a named day.
Q11Choose the correct phrase.
Incorrect answer
At night is a fixed English time expression.
Correct answer: at night
At night is a fixed English time expression.
Q12Seven in the evening is…
Incorrect answer
Add twelve to seven to write this evening time on a 24-hour clock.
Correct answer: 19:00.
Add twelve to seven to write this evening time on a 24-hour clock.
Q13Noon is…
Incorrect answer
Noon refers to twelve in the daytime.
Correct answer: 12:00 in the middle of the day.
Noon refers to twelve in the daytime.
Q14When does Sami do homework?
Incorrect answer
His reading passage gives half past four in the afternoon.
Correct answer: At 16:30
His reading passage gives half past four in the afternoon.
Q15What time does Sami go to bed?
Incorrect answer
Sami goes to bed at nine at night, written 21:00.
Correct answer: At 21:00
Sami goes to bed at nine at night, written 21:00.
Q16Which word asks about a place?
Incorrect answer
Where requests the location of a person or activity.
Correct answer: Where
Where requests the location of a person or activity.
Q17Choose the question for At eight.
Incorrect answer
At eight supplies a clock time, so What time fits.
Correct answer: What time do you leave?
At eight supplies a clock time, so What time fits.
Q18Which word begins with sn?
Incorrect answer
Snow begins with the consonant blend sn.
Correct answer: snow
Snow begins with the consonant blend sn.
Q19Which word begins with sm?
Incorrect answer
Smile starts with s followed by m.
Correct answer: smile
Smile starts with s followed by m.
Q20Which word begins with st?
Incorrect answer
Star starts with the consonant blend st.
Correct answer: star
Star starts with the consonant blend st.
Q21Which word begins with sk?
Incorrect answer
Skip starts with s followed by k.
Correct answer: skip
Skip starts with s followed by k.
Q22A quarter of an hour is…
Incorrect answer
Four quarters make one hour, so each quarter is fifteen minutes.
Correct answer: 15 minutes.
Four quarters make one hour, so each quarter is fifteen minutes.
Q23What does the Sami text leave unspecified?
Incorrect answer
The passage gives only in the afternoon for his arrival home.
Correct answer: His exact arrival-home time
The passage gives only in the afternoon for his arrival home.
Q24Choose the complete routine sentence.
Incorrect answer
The phrase is go to bed, with at before the clock time.
Correct answer: I go to bed at nine.
The phrase is go to bed, with at before the clock time.
Your score
0/20
Start with the worked examples
Read the lesson in small sections. Write your own example for each rule and try the Easy exercises before returning to the quiz.
Review: 20 missed questions
Which question asks for the time now?
Correct answerWhat time is it?
What time is it? asks for the current clock time.
09:00 is…
Correct answernine o'clock.
Use o'clock when the minutes are exactly :00.
08:15 is…
Correct answera quarter past eight.
Fifteen minutes after eight is a quarter past eight.
Half past six means…
Correct answer06:30.
Half past means thirty minutes after the named hour.
A quarter to ten means…
Correct answer09:45.
At 09:45 there are fifteen minutes left before ten.
Ten to nine means…
Correct answer08:50.
Ten minutes before nine is 08:50.
Another way to say 07:45 is…
Correct answerseven forty-five.
Reading the digital numbers as seven forty-five is also correct.
Complete: I get up … seven.
Correct answerat
At is used before a clock time in a routine sentence.
Complete: We read … the evening.
Correct answerin
The phrase is in the evening.
Complete: The club meets … Monday.
Correct answeron
Use on before a named day.
Choose the correct phrase.
Correct answerat night
At night is a fixed English time expression.
Seven in the evening is…
Correct answer19:00.
Add twelve to seven to write this evening time on a 24-hour clock.
Noon is…
Correct answer12:00 in the middle of the day.
Noon refers to twelve in the daytime.
When does Sami do homework?
Correct answerAt 16:30
His reading passage gives half past four in the afternoon.
What time does Sami go to bed?
Correct answerAt 21:00
Sami goes to bed at nine at night, written 21:00.
Which word asks about a place?
Correct answerWhere
Where requests the location of a person or activity.
Choose the question for At eight.
Correct answerWhat time do you leave?
At eight supplies a clock time, so What time fits.
Which word begins with sn?
Correct answersnow
Snow begins with the consonant blend sn.
Which word begins with sm?
Correct answersmile
Smile starts with s followed by m.
Which word begins with st?
Correct answerstar
Star starts with the consonant blend st.
Exercises with answers
14 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.
Exercise 1
EasyWrite two different questions asking for the current time. Answer both for 09:00.
Answer and explanation
What's the time? What time is it? Answer: It's nine o'clock. Both questions ask for the time now and both can use the same answer.
Exercise 2
EasyWrite 06:00, 10:00 and 12:00 in words using o'clock.
Answer and explanation
Six o'clock; ten o'clock; twelve o'clock. The minutes are :00 in all three examples, so o'clock is appropriate.
Exercise 3
EasyMatch 07:15, 07:30 and 07:45 with half past seven, a quarter to eight and a quarter past seven.
Answer and explanation
07:15 is a quarter past seven. 07:30 is half past seven. 07:45 is a quarter to eight because only fifteen minutes remain before eight.
Exercise 4
EasyWrite digits for a quarter past nine, half past ten and a quarter to six.
Answer and explanation
09:15, 10:30 and 05:45 on a 12-hour reading. The last expression looks ahead to six; the displayed hour is still five. Add context if morning or evening matters.
Exercise 5
IntermediateSay 08:50 and 06:40 using to, then give a digital-style spoken alternative.
Answer and explanation
08:50: ten to nine, or eight fifty. 06:40: twenty to seven, or six forty. Subtract the minutes from sixty and name the next hour for the to form.
Exercise 6
EasyComplete: … seven; … the evening; … Monday; … night; … Friday morning.
Answer and explanation
At seven; in the evening; on Monday; at night; on Friday morning. A named day takes on even when morning follows it.
Exercise 7
IntermediateCorrect: It's seven thirty o'clock. I get up in seven. 7:45 is a quarter to seven.
Answer and explanation
It's seven thirty. I get up at seven. 7:45 is a quarter to eight. O'clock is for exact hours, at introduces a clock time, and to names the next hour.
Exercise 8
IntermediateUse the reading. When does Sami have breakfast, do homework and go to bed? Give the 24-hour forms.
Answer and explanation
He has breakfast at 07:30, does homework at 16:30 and goes to bed at 21:00. Afternoon and evening context tells you when to add twelve hours.
Exercise 9
IntermediateDoes Sami go to bed before dinner? What exact time does he arrive home? Use only the text.
Answer and explanation
No. He has dinner at seven in the evening and goes to bed at nine. His exact arrival-home time is not given; the text says only in the afternoon.
Exercise 10
IntermediateUse What, What time or Where once each: … do you read? In the library. … do you have dinner? At seven. … do you do at night? I sleep.
Answer and explanation
Where do you read? What time do you have dinner? What do you do at night? Place, clock time and activity clues guide the three choices.
Exercise 11
EasySort small, snake, star, skip, smile, snow, stop and skate into sm, sn, st and sk.
Answer and explanation
sm: small, smile. sn: snake, snow. st: star, stop. sk: skip, skate. Begin directly with s and pronounce the second consonant without an extra vowel.
Exercise 12
IntermediateHave a partner read twice: I get up at a quarter past seven. I leave at a quarter to eight. I read at half past five in the afternoon. Write the three times in digits.
Answer and explanation
07:15, 07:45 and 17:30. The phrase in the afternoon is essential for the last 24-hour form. This script is designed to be read aloud by a partner.
Exercise 13
ChallengeWrite six sentences in time order. Use two past/to expressions, one part of the day and then. You may invent the schedule.
Answer and explanation
Model: I get up at seven. I have breakfast at a quarter past seven. Then I go to school at eight. In the afternoon, I read at half past four. I have dinner at seven. I go to bed at nine. Check that the times agree with the order.
Exercise 14
ChallengeWrite three questions about your partner's day, using What, When and Where. Provide suitable model answers.
Answer and explanation
Model: What do you do after school? I play chess. When do you play? On Wednesday. Where do you play? In the library. Each answer must supply the type of information requested; other consistent routines are acceptable.