Lesson 10: Telling Time (Basic)
O'clock and Half Past
After learning about days and months, let's learn about the hours in a day! Knowing how to ask for and tell the time1 is a very important skill for everyday life, from going to work to meeting your friends.
Word Bank
| Word/Phrase | Khmer | Meaning & Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Time | ពេលវេលា | The measurement of hours and minutes. Example: "What time is it?" |
| O'clock2 | ម៉ោង...គត់ | Used for the exact hour (when minutes are 00). Example: "It is seven o'clock." (7:00) |
| Half past3 | ...កន្លះ | Means 30 minutes after the hour. Example: "It is half past seven." (7:30) |
| Hour4 | ម៉ោង | A period of 60 minutes. Example: "The meeting is in one hour." |
| Minute5 | នាទី | A period of 60 seconds. Example: "Wait one minute, please." |
Usage Note: Asking and Stating the Time
- The most common question is: "What time is it?"
- When the big hand (minute hand) is on the 12, we say o'clock. For example, 3:00 is three o'clock.
- When the big hand is on the 6, we say half past. For example, 3:30 is half past three.
In Conversation
Srey is worried she is late to meet Bora.
Srey: Hi Bora! Sorry I am late! What time is it?
Bora: Don't worry, you are not late. It's only half past nine (9:30).
Srey: Oh, good! My meeting is at ten o'clock.
Bora: You have plenty of time. It is a 30-minute walk from here.
Srey: Perfect! Thank you. I will see you later!
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. If the clock shows 4:30, what do you say?
- a) Four o'clock
- b) Half past four
- c) Half past three
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Half past four
2. What does "o'clock" mean?
- a) 30 minutes past the hour
- b) The exact hour (00 minutes)
- c) 15 minutes past the hour
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) The exact hour (00 minutes)
3. How do you ask for the time?
- a) What is the hour?
- b) How is the time?
- c) What time is it?
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) What time is it?
edit Your Mission
- My Day: Write three sentences about your day using time. For example: "I wake up at six o'clock. I eat lunch at half past twelve."
- Practice: Look at a clock right now. What time is it? Try to say the time in English using "o'clock" or "half past".
- Speak: Your mission is to ask one person "What time is it?" today.
book Lesson Glossary
- Time (noun) - Khmer: ពេលវេលា - The measurement of hours and minutes. ↩
- O'clock (adverb) - Khmer: ម៉ោង...គត់ - Used for the exact hour when the minutes are zero. ↩
- Half past (phrase) - Khmer: ...កន្លះ - Thirty minutes after the hour. ↩
- Hour (noun) - Khmer: ម៉ោង - A period of 60 minutes. ↩
- Minute (noun) - Khmer: នាទី - A period of 60 seconds. ↩