Telling Time

English Material

Read the dialogue, and practice with a partner.

A: Excuse me, what time is it?
B: It's 5: 30.
A: Oh no! I'm late.
B: Don't worry. My watch is a few minutes fast.
A: Okay good. The bus comes at half past.
B: It's about 5:28.


Dave : I have a ticket to the soccer match on Friday night. Would you like to go?
Susan : Thanks. I'd love to. What time does it start?
Dave  : At 8:00
Susan : That sounds great. So, do you want to have dinner at 6:00?
Dave  : I'd like to, but I have to work late.
Susan : Oh, that's OK. Let's just meet at the stadium before the match, around 7:30.
Dave  : OK. Let's meet at the gate.
Susan : That sounds fine. See you there

Some sample words to describe time:

one o'clock 1: 00	five after one 1: 05	quarter after one 1:15
one-thirty 1: 30	half past one 1: 30	quarter to one 12: 45
ten to one 12: 50	noon: 12:00 pm	midnight: 12:00 am

Note: Do your listeners know if you mean morning or night? If not, say AM after a morning time. Say PM after an afternoon or evening time.