Time
Time really goes along with our life. The time plays an important role in our life. Time is also mentioned in our schedule. Many things that we do are based on a time schedule. For example, we go to school or work, have lunch or dinner, and go home at certain time. Whether we like it or not, much of our life is controlled by the time. So, we sure that day, date, month, year, and trips of the times.
Cloks and watches tell you about the time. It is very important for us to know the ways of telling time. If someone tells you the time, you might think of numbers. For instance, if someone says “it’s four o’clock” or “It’s four”, you might have this number in mind: 04.00. Now, study the following list!
How to tell the time:
1. For an exact time, for example 7.00, you can add o’clock after the hour.
– 7.00 = seven o’clock
– 5.00 = five o’clock
2. For the more popular way, we say the minutes first, and then the hours. Use past and the preceding hour for minutes 01 through 30. Use to and the forthcoming hour for minutes 31 through 59.
– 3.05 = five past three
– 9.20 = twenty past nine
– 7.55 = five to eight
– 2.40 = twenty to three
3. For the exact minutes of 15, 30, and 45, we can use the other expression.
– 15 = a quarter past
– 30 = a half past
– 45 = a quarter to
– 3.15 = a quarter past three
– 5.30 = a half past five
– 8.45 = a quarter to nine
4. For the easier way, we can just say the hours and the minutes
– 7.30 = seven thirty
– 4.45 = four forty five
– 1.25 = three twenty five
5. For the 12-hour format, we can use a.m. and p.m. to differentiate the time.
– a.m./AM: Ante meridiem; Used after 12 o’clock in the midnight, but before 12 o’clock in the midday
– p.m./PM: Post meridiem; Used after 12 o’clock in the midday, but before 12 o’clock in the midnight
– 8.00 a.m. = eight o’clock in the morning
– 8.00 p.m. = eight o’clock in the evening
– 2.00 a.m. = two o’clock in the night
– 2.00 p.m. = two o’clock in the afternoon
Note:
Morning: From sunrise until 12.00 p.m.
Noon: Precisely at 12.00 p.m.
Afternoon: From 12.00 p.m. until about 5.00 p.m.
Evening: From 5.00 p.m. until 10.00 p.m.
Night: From 10.00 p.m. until sunrise
Midnight: Precisely at 12.00 p.m.
To ask about times, we can use the following expressions.
– What time is it now?
– What is the time right now?
– Do you have the correct time?
Example:
Bagus: Excuse me, Sir. What is the time right now?
Mr. Rangga: It is almost 9.00 a.m.
Bagus: I’m sorry. May I know the exact time?
Mr. Rangga: Sure. It is five to nine.
Bagus: Thank you, Sir
To tell the time, you can use the Preposition of Time. It is used to discuss the specific time period such as date on the calendar, one of the days of the week, or theh exact time something take place. See the table below!
| Preposition of Time | Example |
|---|---|
| at: we use at for a specific time and holiday period | Ramitha goes to school at 7 a.m. Andi returned home at midnight. Everyone seems happy at the New Year. |
| in: we use in for months, years, season, length of time, and centuries | My birthday is in July It will be very cold in the winter It will be ready in fifteen minutes. |
| on: we use on for days of week, specific days, and dates | We have flag ceremony on Monday. The school will start on June 15th, 2019. |
Calendar
The calendar has an important role in daily activites. Calendar is a chart or series of pages. Calendar shows all the date, days, weeks, and months of the year.
To tell the date, we have to pay attention to the cardinal and ordinal number of the days and months, as follows:
| Cardinal Number | Word | Ordinal Number | Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One | 1st | First |
| 2 | Two | 2nd | Second |
| 3 | Three | 3nd | Third |
| 4 | Four | 4th | Fourth |
| 5 | Five | 5th | Fifth |
| 6 | Six | 6th | Sixth |
| 7 | Seven | 7th | Seventh |
| 8 | Eight | 8th | Eighth |
| 9 | Nine | 9th | Ninth |
| 10 | Ten | 10th | Tenth |
| Months | Meaning |
|---|---|
| – January | – Januari |
| – February | – Februari |
| – March | – Maret |
| – April | – April |
| – May | – Mei |
| – June | – Juni |
| – July | – Juli |
| – August | – Agustus |
| – September | – September |
| – October | – Oktober |
| – November | – November |
| – December | – Desember |
Years:
– 1870 : eighteen seventy
– 1990 : nineteen ninety
– 1993 : nineteen ninety three
To ask about dates/months, we can use the following expressions and responses:
| Expressions | Responses |
|---|---|
| – What date is today? | – It’s October 22nd, 2020. |
| – What date is it? | – It’s February 28th, 2014. |
| – What is the date today? | – It is October 15th,2020. |
| – When were you born? | – I was born on July 6th, 2004. |
There are two ways to telling the dates:
1. British style: (the day is usually put before the month)
– On 2 January 1965 or on 2nd January 1965 (On the second of january nineteen sixty five)
2. American Style: (the month is usually put before the day)
– On January 2nd, 1965 (On January second, nineteen sixty five)
Example:
Rania: When were you born, Rangga?
Rangga: On March 22nd, 2007
Look and learn the days!
| Days | Meaning |
|---|---|
| – Sunday | – Minggu |
| – Monday | – Senin |
| – Tuesday | – Selasa |
| – Wednesday | – Rabu |
| – Thursday | – Kamis |
| – Friday | – Jumat |
| – Saturday | – Sabtu |
To ask about days, we can use the following expressions and responses
| Expressions | Responses |
|---|---|
| – What day is it? | – It’s Saturday |
| – When do you usually attend Englishh course? | – On Monday and Friday |
| – When do the students have science class? | – Every Tuesday |
In telling day and date, we will also use the following words:
Today: hari ini
Yesterday: kemarin
Tomorrow: besok
Two days later/after: dua hari kemudian
Two days before: dua hari sebelumnya
Example:
Rania: What date is it today?
Tiara: It is December 22nd.
Rania: What date is it tomorrow?
Tiara: Tomorrow is December 23rd.
Rania: What day was it yesterday?
Tiara: Yesterday was Sunday.
Baca juga: Cardinal and Ordinal Number
That some about time and calendar. I hope this post can help.
