Goal
You’ll be able to say numbers, tell the time, and state the date correctly — genuinely essential vocabulary for countless everyday situations.
Learn
Numbers 1-10: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Telling time in English typically follows one of two common patterns: It’s three o’clock. (exactly 3:00) or It’s half past three. (3:30) or It’s a quarter to four. (3:45, literally “a quarter [of an hour] before four”). This last pattern genuinely confuses many learners at first, since it counts toward the next hour, not the current one.
Dates in English are typically said as: It’s March fifth. or It’s the fifth of March. — notice the number becomes an ordinal (fifth, not five) when stating a date, a detail that’s easy to forget.
A genuinely important, commonly confused detail: a quarter to four means 3:45, not 4:15 — “to” signals time counting down toward the stated hour, while “past” (as in a quarter past four, meaning 4:15) signals time counted after it.
Decision Task
You want to say the time is 3:45. Before reading on: would you say a quarter past three or a quarter to four?
Show Answer
A quarter to four — since 3:45 is 15 minutes before 4:00, “to” correctly signals counting down toward the next hour (four). A quarter past three would instead mean 3:15, a different time entirely.
Common Mistake
Confusing “past” and “to” when telling time — assuming both refer to the current stated hour rather than understanding that “to” specifically counts toward the next hour. A quarter to four (3:45) and a quarter past four (4:15) are genuinely different times, both easy to mix up without understanding this “past” versus “to” distinction clearly.
Practice Questions
1. How would you say the number 7 in English?
Show Answer
seven
2. How would you say 4:30 using the “half past” pattern?
Show Answer
Half past four.
3. How would you say 5:45?
Show Answer
A quarter to six.
4. Why does the number change form when stating a date, like “March fifth” instead of “March five”?
Show Answer
Dates use ordinal numbers (fifth, not five) rather than plain cardinal numbers.
5. What does “to” signal when telling time, as in a quarter to four?
Show Answer
Time counting down toward the next stated hour, not the current one.
Try It Yourself
Without looking back, say the time 2:15 using the “past” pattern, and explain in one sentence why “past” (not “to”) is correct here.
Show Answer
A quarter past two. — “past” is correct because 2:15 is 15 minutes after 2:00, counting forward from the current hour, not toward the next one.
Quick Check
1. How do you say the number 10?
Show Answer
ten
2. How do you say 3:00 exactly?
Show Answer
Three o’clock.
3. What does “half past” mean?
Show Answer
30 minutes after the stated hour.
4. What form does a number take in a date, like “the fifth of March”?
Show Answer
Ordinal form (fifth), not cardinal (five).
5. Does “a quarter to four” mean 3:45 or 4:15?
Show Answer
3:45