Time and dates:
Time:
I've found even people with great English sometimes struggle saying the time
Watch this video to learn how to do it correctly and then have a look below to find out the mistakes I most commonly hear.
Watch this video to learn how to do it correctly and then have a look below to find out the mistakes I most commonly hear.
Here are the mistakes to watch out for:
We only use 'o'clock' when talking about whole numbers:
It's 7 o'clock. ✅
It's 7.30 o'clock.❌
You cannot use 'am' or 'pm' combined with 'o'clock':
It's 3pm.✅
It's 3 o'clock.✅
It's 3pm o'clock.❌
Speaking we never use the 24-hour clock. So even if it is written '17.30', you say it '5.30', not '17.30'.
In the video, you may have noticed I hardly ever say 'am' or 'pm'. While it is very common to see 'am' or 'pm' written when speaking I only use it when it is unclear if I am talking about the morning or the afternoon.
e.g.
My parents are arriving at 7pm on Saturday ✅(it could be morning or evening so you need to specify)
We are having lunch at 1pm.❌ (not necessary to say 'pm' as it is obvious it is not the middle of the night)
And finally two points for writing:
Different to above, when writing I would recommend always writing 'am' or 'pm' after the time
In a business situation, don't write 'o'clock' as it sounds very old fashioned.
We only use 'o'clock' when talking about whole numbers:
It's 7 o'clock. ✅
It's 7.30 o'clock.❌
You cannot use 'am' or 'pm' combined with 'o'clock':
It's 3pm.✅
It's 3 o'clock.✅
It's 3pm o'clock.❌
Speaking we never use the 24-hour clock. So even if it is written '17.30', you say it '5.30', not '17.30'.
In the video, you may have noticed I hardly ever say 'am' or 'pm'. While it is very common to see 'am' or 'pm' written when speaking I only use it when it is unclear if I am talking about the morning or the afternoon.
e.g.
My parents are arriving at 7pm on Saturday ✅(it could be morning or evening so you need to specify)
We are having lunch at 1pm.❌ (not necessary to say 'pm' as it is obvious it is not the middle of the night)
And finally two points for writing:
Different to above, when writing I would recommend always writing 'am' or 'pm' after the time
In a business situation, don't write 'o'clock' as it sounds very old fashioned.
How to say dates:
Watch this video to see how to say dates correctly.
If the 'th' on the end of fourth, fifth, sixth etc is difficult for you, have a look at the videos on my pronunciation page.