Telling Time
Related Topics:
English as a Second Language
Welcome to our free online collection of English as a Second Language (ESL) tools & resources for students, teachers, and educators.
We have lots of free videos that will help you improve your English and also advice and tips that will help you in English proficiency examinations like TOEFL and IELTS.
Telling Time
Telling time is a fundamental life skill that involves understanding how we measure and organize our daily lives. It’s about knowing where we are in the day, how long something takes, and when events are scheduled.
The following diagrams show examples of telling time. Scroll down the page for more examples of telling time in English.
Time Worksheets
Practice your skills with the following worksheets:
Printable & Online Time Worksheets
Analog Clocks
Analog clocks use rotating hands to show the time.
The Face: Usually has numbers 1 through 12.
The Hour Hand (short hand): Moves slowly and points to the hour.
The Minute Hand (long hand): Moves faster and points to the minute.
The Second Hand (thin, fast hand - often optional): Sweeps around quickly, showing seconds.
How to Read an Analog Clock:
- Read the Hour Hand:
Look at the short hand. It points to or slightly past the hour.
If it’s between two numbers, it’s always the lower number. For example, if it’s between 3 and 4, it’s 3 o’clock something. - Read the Minute Hand:
Look at the long hand.
Each number on the clock face also represents minutes, counting by 5s.
1 = 5 minutes past the hour
2 = 10 minutes past the hour
3 = 15 minutes past the hour (quarter past)
6 = 30 minutes past the hour (half past)
9 = 45 minutes past the hour (quarter to the next hour)
12 = 00 minutes (o’clock)
The small marks between the numbers usually represent individual minutes.
Telling the Time in English
English Vocabulary - Telling Time
Telling time
An English teacher explains how to tell time in English.
Describing Travel Time in English
This video teaches students how to ask and answer questions about travel time.
Try out our new and fun Fraction Concoction Game.
Add and subtract fractions to make exciting fraction concoctions following a recipe. There are four levels of difficulty: Easy, medium, hard and insane. Practice the basics of fraction addition and subtraction or challenge yourself with the insane level.
We welcome your feedback, comments and questions about this site or page. Please submit your feedback or enquiries via our Feedback page.