How to tell the time in english

Learn How to Tell the TIME Properly in English

Tell the TIME! How to tell the time in English through pictures and examples. Learn these common expressions to improve your English speaking and enlarge your vocabulary words.

Table of Contents

How to Tell the TIME

Asking The Time

Common ways for asking the time:

More polite ways to ask the time (especially from a stranger)

The question forms we use to ask at what time an event will happen:

Giving the Time

Giving the time at Full Hours: (O’clock /…:00)

We use It is or It’s to respond to the questions that ask for the time right now.

Giving the time at Half Hours: (…:30)

We use structure “It is half past…” to give the time at half hours.

Giving the time at Quarter Hours: (…:15 or …:45)

We use two forms of sentence for giving the time at quarter hours:

It is (a) quarter past … (15 minutes after the hour)

It is (a) quarter to … (15 minutes before the hour)

Giving the time at other hours

There are two ways for giving the time at other hours:

Use Past or To (Formal), for example:

It is(it’s) … minutes past /to …

Use the structure: “It’s + hour + minutes”, for example:

A.M and P.M

We don’t normally use the 24-hour clock in English.

We use a.m. (am) for the morning and p.m. (pm) for the afternoon and night.

How to tell the time in English

Updated November 26, 2020

Talking about time is one of those basic skills that isn’t always interesting to learn. In the age of smartphones, it’s not always a skill you think you’ll need. Plus, since it involves numbers, plenty of language learners have a harder time quickly remembering all that new vocabulary.

But being able to talk about time is an important skill to master, especially if you plan on travelling to an English-speaking country. How else will you catch the train on time or make dinner dates?

More importantly, how can you sound like a native speaker when telling time?

How to ask for the time in English

Imagine you’re running late to catch a train, but you have no idea what time it is. Do you know how to ask someone nearby?

If not, try one of these phrases:

“Pardon me/Excuse me, do you know what time it is?”

“Do you have the time?”

Either of these phrases are great for asking someone you don’t know. Just remember to be polite.

For more informal situations, such as asking a friend for the time, you can just ask: “What time is it?”

You can also use this sentence structure to ask for the time of an event or anything in the future. For example, “What time does the show start?” or “What time does the train leave?”

Telling the time

Once you’ve got a good grasp on how to ask for the time in English, you might want to know how to answer those questions, too.

Besides having a firm grasp of English numbers, you’ll want to memorise a few unique words:

O’clock

If it’s 6:00 and someone asks you for the time, you can easily tell them, “It’s 6 o’clock.” The word “o’clock” is used here to indicate that there are no minutes. It’s exactly 6:00.

You’ll also likely hear people tell time without saying “o’clock” at all. For instance, a friend might say: “I’ll meet you at 7.” It’s understood that your friend wants to meet at 7 o’clock.

O

When someone asks you for the time, it probably won’t be 6:00 exactly. In other words, your answer will most likely involve minutes. If so, you don’t have to worry about saying “o’clock”. You can answer using only numbers. For example, “It’s 8:25 (pronounced eight twenty-five).”

If the time is less than 10 minutes after the hour, you would use “O” (pronounced exactly like the letter ‘o’) before the number of minutes. For example, 2:08 would be pronounced two “O” eight.

Half past

If it’s 30 minutes after the hour, you can use the phrase “half past”. For instance, “It’s half past ten” means the time is 10:30.

Quarter to and quarter past

Similarly, if the time is 15 minutes before or after the hour, you can use “quarter to” and “quarter past” to give the time.

“It’s a quarter to 3” means it’s 2:45. There are 15 minutes until 3 o’clock.

“It’s a quarter past 3” means it’s 3:15. It’s 15 minutes past 3 o’clock.

A.M. and P.M.

In English, time is usually told according to 12-hour time zones. So, to distinguish between 6 in the morning and 6 at night, you would use A.M. and P.M. The hours before noon (12 o’clock) use a.m., which stands for ante meridiem. The hours after noon use p.m., or post meridiem.

Alternatively, you could also just say “6 in the morning” or “6 at night” to specify which time you’re talking about. In some cases, the time is implied based on context. For instance, if a friend wants to meet for breakfast at 8 o’clock, you would assume the correct time to meet is 8:00 a.m, not 8:00 p.m.

Feeling more confident about telling time?

An essential, instructive guide on how to tell the time in English

Whether you’re planning an activity, making restaurant bookings or appointments, or catching trains, planes and buses, knowing how to tell the time in English is a pretty valuable skill to have.

There are countless ways to address the concept of time in the English language. And there’s no time like the present to learn how to tell the time.

Perfect for both adults learning English and children mastering time telling, this article will explore the importance of time, break down how actually to talk about and say the time and even touch on some mind-bending philosophy and science.

Keep reading to dive into everything you need to know about telling the time!

Why time is important

Time’s importance underpins humanity’s very existence. It’s one of the mysteries of the universe and is debatably, one of humanity’s most invaluable and powerful resources. That’s because once time has passed, you can’t get it back.

There’s so much that is dependent upon time. And by reading this article, you’re doing a remarkable thing by crystallizing your time knowledge and skills.

How to tell the time in English

Telling the time in English can seem challenging at first because there are so many options to consider – but that’s also part of the fun. You can always start with the basics by addressing the English number for the hour, which ranges from 1 to 12 in traditional time and 1 to 24 in military time.

In this section, we’ll explore asking for the time, and break down step by step how to tell the time, so you can get the confidence to communicate about time, no matter what minute or hour of the day it is.

How to ask what the time is in English

Time, which is pronounced tД«m, is very simple to ask for. You can simply say:

Some also say do you have the time?

How to tell the time of the hour

To tell the time of the hour, say the hour by number and add o’clock to the end of it. Let’s explore how to tell time on the hour, using the examples below ranging from 1-12.

How to say half past, quarter past, and quarter to

A big part of telling time is understanding notable milestones in the hour. These are the three most common milestones and how to say them in English.

How to say what time of day it is in English

In English, there are several common ways to reference the time of day depending on what portion of the day you are in. You’ll find that this can be more casual than saying the actual time itself.

How to tell exact minutes in English

When saying the full time, including minutes, you’ll generally want to pair every individual component together. Start with the number of the hour, then add the number for the minutes. If the minutes are under ten, like 1:07, you will say the zero as a part of the minute number.

Note that there are some variations to telling the time in exact minutes, which we’ve provided in the variation column.

Remember, if you’re using the variations, once you go past half past the hour, you move from saying past, instead to to.

How to tell military time

Learning how to tell military time in English can be even easier for some new learners.

This format is used by the military and is considered to be the International Standard for time-telling.

Other time-related phrases in English

To get the most out of telling the time, it can be helpful to practice in new ways. There are even someВ games you can use to amp up the fun factor!

Time in English FAQs

Let’s explore some fun details surrounding time and telling time.

Does time exist?

Time is definitely a real concept for most humans. In physics, Einstein’s relativity theory states that time and space are two sides of the same coin, and we exist within them both.

Physicists are divided on this subject and still exploring the answers to this question. Could time just be some sort of illusion generated by the limitations of the way we perceive the universe?

We think this Ted-Ed talk by Andrew Zimmerman-Jones explores this mind-bending science really well. Press play!

What do A.M. and P.M stand for?

When telling time, a.m. and p.m. are abbreviations. The abbreviation a.m. stands for ante meridiem, which means “before midday.” The abbreviation p.m. stands for post meridiem, which means “after midday.”

When and how were clocks invented?

The first clocks ever invented were obelisks and sundials, ancient devices that were first introduced back between 3500 B.C. and 1500 B.C.

These devices measured the passing of time using the sun, which would move a shadow along the devices.

Songs about time and clocks

There are plenty of exciting songs that refer to time and clocks. Let’s explore a few of our favorites.

Rock around the clock by Bill Haley and his Comets

This fun song was very popular when it was introduced and still appears in the film to this day. Some believe that it really kicked off the American interest in Rock & Roll.

Time won’t let me go by The Bravery

This hit song was released in 2007 and explores some of the more philosophical considerations for time.

Time after time by Cyndi Lauper

This hit love song has been a favorite for generations and details how time plays a role in relationships.

Until next time!

Now that you have a broader understanding of language involving time, it is your turn to head out and use what you have learned. There are plenty of creative ways to discuss time and how it impacts us, so remember to have fun with it, and practice makes perfect.

Next up, you might want to round up your learning with English numbers or the English alphabet?

Otherwise, check out our English language learning blog for more fun English vocabulary articles or even explore online English class.

How to tell the time in English

What time is it? How to tell the time in English.

How to tell the time in English

It’s one minute past one

It’s three minutes past one

It’s five past one

It’s ten past one

It’s fifteen minutes past one or (a) quarter past one

It’s twenty past one

It’s twenty five past one

It’s half past one

It’s twenty five to two

It’s twenty to two

It’s seventeen minutes to two

It’s five to two

It’s twelve o’clock, It’s midday, It’s midnight.

Saying the time

When we talk about time on a clock, we have analogue and digital clocks – analogue clocks with hands and digital clocks with numbers. We use either the 12-hour clock or the 24-hour clock.

The 12-hour clock uses ‘am’ – Ante Meridiem and ‘pm’ – Post Meridiem (after noon) to distinguish the difference between day and night. For more details click here.

The 24-hour clock is used for timetables

10 o’clock in morning can also be expressed as 10am or 10:00
and 10 o’clock at night can also be expressed as 10pm or 22:00

1 o’clock in the morning – 1am or 01:00
and 1 o’clock in the afternoon 1pm or 13:00

01:00 – 1am – It’s one o’clock (in the morning).
02:00 – 2am – It’s two o’clock (in the morning).
03:00 – 3am – It’s three o’clock (in the morning).
04:00 – 4am – It’s four o’clock (in the morning).
05:00 – 5am – It’s five o’clock (in the morning).
06:00 – 6am – It’s six o’clock (in the morning).
07:00 – 7am – It’s seven o’clock (in the morning).
08:00 – 8am – It’s eight o’clock (in the morning).
09:00 – 9am – It’s nine o’clock (in the morning).
10:00 – 10am – It’s ten o’clock (in the morning).
11:00 – 11am – It’s eleven o’clock (in the morning).
12:00 – 11.59am – 12.01pm – It’s twelve midday/noon
12:30 – 12.30pm
13:00 – 1pm – It’s one o’clock (in the afternoon).
14:00 – 2pm – It’s two o’clock (in the afternoon).
15:00 – 3pm – It’s three o’clock (in the afternoon).
16:00 – 4pm – It’s four o’clock (in the afternoon).
17:00 – 5pm – It’s five o’clock (in the afternoon).
18:00 – 6pm – It’s six o’clock (in the evening).
19:00 – 7pm – It’s seven o’clock (in the evening).
20:00 – 8pm – It’s eight o’clock (in the evening).
21:00 – 9pm – It’s nine o’clock (at night).
22:00 – 10pm – It’s ten o’clock (at night).
23:00 – 11pm – It’s eleven o’clock (at night).
24:00 – 11.59pm – 12.01am – It’s twelve midnight

We only use o’clock for the hours (on the dot).

For times outside the hour and five-minute intervals, we say minutes past or minutes to:

01:01 (one-oh-one) – one minute past one
01:02 (one-oh-two) – two minutes past one
01:03 (one-oh-three) – three minutes past one
01:04 (one-oh-four) – four minutes past one

01:05 (one-oh-five) – five past one

01:06 (one-oh-six) – six minutes past one
01:07 (one-oh-seven) – seven minutes past one
01:08 (one-oh-eight) – eight minutes past one
01:09 (one-oh-nine) – nine minutes past one

01:10 (one-ten) – ten past one

01:11 (one-eleven) – eleven minutes past one
01:12 (one-twelve) – twelve minutes past one
01:13 (one-thirteen) – thirteen minutes past one
01:14 (one-fourteen) – fourteen minutes past one

01:15 (one-fifteen) – fifteen minutes past one or (a) quarter past one

01:16 (one-sixteen) – sixteen minutes past one
01:17 (one-seventeen) – seventeen minutes past one
01:18 (one-eighteen) – eighteen minutes past one
01:19 (one-nineteen) – nineteen minutes past one

01:20 (one-twenty) – twenty past one

01:21 (one-twenty-one) – twenty-one minutes past one
01:22 (one-twenty-two) – twenty-two minutes past one
01:23 (one-twenty-three) – twenty-three minutes past one
01:24 (one-twenty-four) – twenty-four minutes past one

01:25 (one-twenty-five) – twenty-five past one

01:26 (one-twenty-six) – twenty-six minutes past one
01:27 (one-twenty-seven) – twenty-seven minutes past one
01:28 (one-twenty-eight) – twenty-eight minutes past one
01:29 (one-twenty-nine) – twenty-nine minutes past one

01:30 (one-thirty) – thirty minutes past one or half past one

01:31 (one-thirty-one) – twenty-nine minutes to two
01:32 (one-thirty-two) – twenty-eight minutes to two
01:33 (one-thirty-three) – twenty-seven minutes to two
01:34 (one-thirty-four) – twenty-six minutes to two

01:35 (one-thirty-five) – twenty-five to two

01:36 (one-thirty-six) – twenty-four minutes to two
01:37 (one-thirty-seven)- twenty-three minutes to two
01:38 (one-thirty-eight) – twenty-two minutes to two
01:39 (one-thirty-nine) – twenty-one minutes to two

01:40 (one-forty) – twenty to two

01:41 (one-forty-one) – nineteen minutes to two
01:42 (one-forty-two) – eighteen minutes to two
01:43 (one-forty-three) – seventeen minutes to two
01:44 (one-forty-four) – sixteen minutes to two

01:45 (one-forty-five) – fifteen minutes to two or (a) quarter to two

01:46 (one- forty-six) – fourteen minutes to two
01:47 (one-forty-seven) – thirteen minutes to two
01:48 (one-forty-eight) – twelve minutes to two
01:49 (one-forty-nine) – eleven minutes to two

01:50 (one-fifty) – ten to two

01:51 (one-fifty-one) – nine minutes to two
01:52 (one-fifty-two) – eight minutes to two
01:53 (one-fifty-three) – seven minutes to two
01:54 (one-fifty-four) – six minutes to two

01:55 (one-fifty-five)- five to two

01:56 (one-fifty-six) – four minutes to two
01:57 (one-fifty-seven) – three minutes to two
01:58 (one-fifty-eight) – two minutes to two
01:59 (one-fifty-nine) – one minute to two

02:00 (oh-two-hundred hours) – two o’clock

Expressions used when telling the time

It is exactly… It’s exactly two o’clock
It is about… It’s about two o’clock
It is around… It’s around two o’clock
It is almost… It’s almost two o’clock
It has just gone… It’s just gone two o’clock

Expressions used when you don’t know the time

Sorry, I have no idea.
I couldn’t tell you.
I haven’t got a clue.

Asking for the time

What’s the time?
What time is it?
Have you got the right time?
Could you tell me the time, please?
Do you happen to have the right time?
Do you know what time it is?
What time do you make it?
What time is the next… (bus, train) to…?
What time does the next…(bus, train, flight) leave/arrive?

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Telling the Time in English

Telling the time in English is easy once you understand how English speakers refer to the different parts of the clock at different times of the day. It always follows the same pattern. So once you know how it works, you can confidently announce the time at any time of the day or night.

You might know your numbers in English, but you need more than numbers to tell the time in English. You also need to be able to ask and answer questions about time and speak about the clock in different life situation.

Read on to find out more about telling the time in English using the 12 hour clock and the 24 hour clock, which prepositions to use, how to ask the time, how to give the time and how the time is used commonly to talk about the working day. We’ve also included a list of idioms and common phrases using the word ‘time’.

Vocabulary for telling the time in English

O’Clock, ‘Past’ and ‘To’

For hourly times use the phrase ‘o’clock’. For example: It is three o’clock (pronounced: ‘three oh clock’)

For any minute past the hour but before the half hour, use the word ‘past’ before the previous o’clock, or read out the full numbers.

Examples using ‘past’:

For any minute beyond the half hour, use the word ‘to’ before the next o’clock.

Examples using ‘to’:

The 12 hour clock and AM / PM

When we tell the time in English, we can use the 12 hour clock or the 24 hour clock.

The 12 hour clock splits the day into two 12 hour sections. One lasts from midnight to noon and the second half lasts from noon to midnight.

In the 12 hour clock, we need a way to differentiate between morning and evening, so we use the letter ‘am’ and ‘pm’ to show whether 11.20 is in the morning or at night.

Hours before noon are called ‘a.m.’ (pronounced ay-em), which comes from the Lain ‘ante meridiem’, which means before midday.

Hours after noon are called ‘p.m.’ (pronounced pee-em), which comes from the Lain ‘post meridiem’, which means after midday.

Often we write these shortenings without the full stops in between the letters, so they are often written in common usage as ‘am’ and ‘pm’.

So 11.20 in the morning is 11.20 am (eleven twenty or twenty past eleven)

and 11.20 at night is 11.20 pm

The 24 hour clock

If we use the 24 hour clock to tell the time in English, there is no need to use ‘am’ and ‘pm’. This is because 11.20am is simply 11.20, and 11.20 pm is 23.20.

When we get past 12 noon the time does not go back to 1, but instead moves onto 13, often written with an ‘h’ after the number, for example 13h.

In Britain we often use the 12 hour clock (except for transport timetables when the 24 hour clock is always used) but in other European countries it is common to use the 24 hour clock in social situations when writing about the time. Here the suffix ‘h’ is often used, for example 14h or 14.30h. However when speaking, the 12 hour clock is always used.

When it is in the morning and there is only a single digit number in use (e.g. one through to nine) the 24 hour clock uses a zero first in formal situations, such as a train timetable, for example, 08.30.

Examples from the train timetable above:

The first train departs London Euston at 0640 (six forty, twenty to seven, or 6.40 am) and arrives at Watford Junction at 0655 (six fifty-five, five to seven, or 6.55 am)

The train that departs from Birmingham International at 1739 (seventeen thirty-nine, five thirty-nine, 5.39 pm, or twenty-one minutes to six) arrives at Birmingham New Street at 1751 (seventeen fifty-one, five fifty-one, 5.51 pm, or nine minutes to six).

The last train to depart Milton Keynes Central at 2248 (twenty-two forty-eight, ten forty-eight, 10.48 pm, or twelve minutes to eleven) arrives at Coventry at 2352 (twenty-three fifty-two, eleven fifty-two, 11.52 pm, eight minutes to midnight/twelve).

How to separate the numbers when writing the time?

Some people use a dot as punctuation to separate the numbers when writing a digital time (2.30 pm), other people use a colon (14:30) – colons are especially popular in 24 hour clock format.

Sometimes people use nothing at all to separate numbers using the 24 hour clock (1430). Whichever format you chose when writing the time in English, try to keep it consistent.

Examples of telling time in English with an analogue clock

Consider the clock faces on the left. Here, the first clock can show: five past ten / ten o five / 10.05 / 22.05

The second clock shows: four forty-five / quarter to five / 4.45 am / 4.45 pm or 04.45 / 16:45

The third clock shows: quarter past twelve / 12.15 am / 12.15 pm / 00.15

The fourth clock shows: twenty-five past eight / 8.25 am / 8.25 pm / 20.25

Prepositions for telling the time in English

We normally use the preposition ‘at’ with times for making plans for a specific time. For example, ‘I am meeting them at two o’clock’.

But we use the word ‘in’ for a less definite amount of time. For example, ‘I am meeting them in two hours’. This implies a a more general time.

How to talk about the general time of day

We use the preposition ‘in’ for a general time of day. For example ‘in the morning’, ‘in the afternoon’ and ‘in the evening’.

If it is late, we normally say ‘at night’, for example ‘it’s ten o’clock at night’ to mean 10 pm. We also say ‘in the night’ to mean in the middle of the night in general.

We can add the phrase ‘in the morning’ to mean a time before noon. If the time is very early, for example before 6am, we can say ‘early morning’. If the time is in the middle of the night, for example 1 am until 3 am, we can say it is ‘in the early hours’.

We say ‘in the afternoon’ for a time between noon and 6 pm, and ‘in the evening for a time after around 6 pm. The phrase ‘at night’ starts to be used later on, after around 9 pm. People might use the word ‘afternoon’ later in the summer because it stays light later.

Other general times would be ‘around 3pm’ or ‘around noon’. For example, someone might ask you: “What time are we meeting tonight?” You could reply: “Around 6pm” or “About half seven”

For general amounts of time, we can use various phrases that aren’t exact, often starting with ‘about’ or ‘around’. For example:

Daylight saving time

At the start of spring, we put the clocks forward one hour to British Summer Time (BST). At the start of winter, we put the clocks back one hour again. This habit of changing the clocks back and forth is in order to use the daylight more effectively. Find out more about changing the clocks and Daylight Saving Time.

How to ask the time in English

There are a few phrases that we can use to ask the time. Here are some examples:

To answer someone else’s question and give them the time, we need to use the word ‘it is’ or more commonly, ‘it’s’ to introduce the time.

For example:

If you can’t help them, you might want to say:

Time used to describe the working day

There are a few phrases we use related to time in English speaking countries. Traditionally the ‘working day‘ is called ‘9 to 5’. This means 9 am until 5 pm. These are the opening hours of most shops. (Many shops in the UK now regularly open until 5.30pm or 6pm. There is also often a ‘late night shopping’ day once a week when shops will open until 8pm or 9pm).

The hours of 9 to 5 from Monday to Friday are often called ‘office hours’. Of course, office hours today can also mean until 6 pm or later, but traditionally it was always from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon/evening.

These office hours were also used in the famous film and song by Dolly Parton ‘9 to 5’ where she sings ‘working nine to five, what a way to make a living’. The phrase ‘to make a living’ means to earn money.

The phrase is used in the song in a negative way to imply working hard for little pay and for someone else’s benefit.

As Dolly sings in ‘9 to 5’:

‘Tumble outta bed and I stumble to the kitchen
Pour myself a cup of ambition
Yawn and stretch and try to come to life
Jump in the shower and the blood starts pumpin’
Out on the street the traffic starts jumpin’
With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5′

‘Workin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it’

‘9 to 5, for service and devotion
You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me!’

Other phrases related to work are ‘full time’ and ‘part time’. A full-time job usually means a job that you do every day for around 40 hours per week.

A part-time job means a job that that you do for fewer hours than a full time job. This might be three days a week or perhaps four hours per day, instead of the usual eight hours per day for a full-time job.

If someone is ‘taking time off’, it means they are taking a break from work or study.

Phrases and idioms using the word ‘time’

Other phrases with the word ‘time’ include:

Having the time of my life – having an amazing time (‘Are you enjoying the concert?’ ‘Yes, I’m having the time of my life!’)

A race against time – a situation where you have to rush to finish something (‘It was a race against time to finish the essay before the deadline’)

Time will tell – the passing of time will show the result (‘Only time will tell whether Brexit is a good or bad thing for the UK’)

To be / run out of time – to have no time left, when you have missed a deadline or come to the end of a time limitation (“I didn’t finish the exam – I ran out of time”); to be out of step with the musical rhythm (“He is a terrible dancer, he is always out of time”)

To be running out of time – to have little time left (“Hurry up, you’re running out of time”)

Take your time – don’t hurry (“Take your time – there’s no rush, there’re not expecting us until 9pm”)

Taking your own sweet time – taking a long time to do something (“He’s taking his own sweet time about it, isn’t he? The job should’ve been finished on Tuesday”) – usually said with annoyance about someone when they are taking too long to do something.

Behind the times – old-fashioned, not up-to-date (‘He can’t even use a computer; he’s really behind the times’)

To have time – Do you have enough time (to do something)? (“Have you got time to help me fix the car?” / “We could drop them off at my house first, if we’ve got time”)

In the nick of time – at the last moment, just before the deadline (‘I caught the train in the nick of time, seconds before it left the station’)

To stand the test of time – to continue successfully for a long time (This film is still relevant today – it has really stood the test of time’)

To have time on your hands – to have a lot of spare time, to have too much free time (‘He is always gossiping with his colleagues – he must have a lot of time on his hands’)

Time flies – time passes quickly (‘time flies when you’re having fun’ – this is a common idiom used to describe something that is so enjoyable that time feels like time passes more quickly than it really does)

Taking time off – taking a break from something (“I won’t be at work next week, I’m taking some time off”)

From time to time – occasionally, now and then, every so often (‘”He visits his friends in London from time to time”)

Let us know your thoughts about time

Hopefully you feel more confident about telling time and talking about time in English. Do let us know if you have any other time-related questions or anything else you want us to over on this page.

Are you comfortable using am and pm, 24 hour clock and military time?

What other time-related phrases or idioms have you heard?

Do you find telling the time difficult in English? Do you have any tips for non-native speakers?

Which time-related words or phrases do you find most confusing?