How familiar are native speakers of English with the 12-hour and 24-hour clocks?

[Glizdka]

I'm trying to figure out how familiar native speakers of English are with the 12-hour clock. So far, my observations have been mixed.

I've noticed that the 12-hour clock is very common in the US, so much so that I've even seen digital clocks display time in the 12-hour format, with AM and PM. Last time I visited America, the receptionist was baffled when I asked for a late check out because my transfer was picking me up at fifteen, and I had to rephrase it and say "...I mean 3 PM". That one time my American friend saw my phone display time in the 24-hour format, he called it "military time" and said this format is only ever used in the military or by doctors, so I suspect Americans are much more familiar with the 12-hour clock and barely familiar with the 24-hour clock.

At the same time, my Australian friend has absolutely no problem with the 24-hour clock and quite naturally says things like "I finish work at seventeen thirty". Englishmen I've talked to seem to use the 12-hour clock most of the time, but are familiar with the 24-hour clock decently enoguh for me not to have to convert time from the 24-hour format to the 12-hour format in order to be understood. I haven't been to the UK often enough to take my personal experience as anything representative or reliable, though, so I can't be sure if it means anything.

Here in Poland, people mostly use the 24-hour clock and every single digital clock I've seen throughout my life displays it in the 24-hour format, but people are very familiar with the 12-hour clock, which is commonly used in speech and informally. However, it's common for Polish people to mistake 12 PM to mean midnight and 12 AM to mean noon because they aren't familiar enough with the 12-hour clock.

Pretty much every English textbook used in Polish schools I've seen (such as New Enterprise published by Express Publishing) almost universally teaches students to always use the 12-hour clock in the English-speaking world. At the same time, these textbooks are often written only by Poles themselves, unfamiliar enough with the 12-hour clock to make the same "12 AM = noon / 12 PM = midnight" mistake in them, in errenous sentences such as "I have lunch at 12 AM" or "I usually go to bed at 12 PM", which makes me question the information in them.

I think it may vary from person to person and it's probably also region-dependent, so I'd like to ask you: What's the most common time format where you live and how familiar are people with the 12-/24-hour format there?

 

[Piscean]

I, a native speaker of BrE, worked in Germany for four years, and have lived in Czechia for over twenty years, and therefore have no problems at all with the 24-hour system. I use it in writing in English, including in emails, WhatsApp, etc. However, in informal conversation with other English speakers, I tend to use the 12-hour system.

On my frequent visits to the UK, I have noticed that few people outside the services use the 24-hour system except when talking about flight and ferry times. It's not unusual to hear mixes like this: I am catching the 18.35 to Rome, and so I need to be at the airport by four thirty.

 

[emsr2d2]

In the UK, people in the military or who work in some sort of transport sector are very familiar with the 24-hour clock. The rest of the population generally use the 12-hour clock although, as you say, given that almost everywhere uses digital clocks now, and a lot of people have no idea how to change them from 24-hr to 12-hr display, I imagine a lot of the population are having to get used to the 24-hr system.

I've just seen Piscean's reply above and agree entirely. I worked at airports/train hubs for over 20 years so the 24-hour system is wholely ingrained in my brain! I can confidently say that at some point I've uttered something along the lines of "My flight's at 1540 so I need to get the airport about two".

 

[SoothingDave]

Yes, you are correct that Americans do not use 24 hour time outside of the military. Many would be familiar with that, but only in military speak.

Saying "someone is picking me up at fifteen" would indeed be a very strange thing to say. You might have been understood had you said "at fifteen hundred hours," which is how the military talks. That also might have baffled the receptionist, if he/she didn't know that either

In any event, it would still be a whole lot easier if you just said 3 PM, as you did.

Finally, people who use the 12 hour clock are also often confused about whether 12 AM is noon or midnight, so don't let that discourage you.

 

[PeterCW]

Yes, you are correct that Americans do not use 24 hour time outside of the military. Many would be familiar with that, but only in military speak.

Saying "someone is picking me up at fifteen" would indeed be a very strange thing to say. You might have been understood had you said "at fifteen hundred hours," which is how the military talks. That also might have baffled the receptionist, if he/she didn't know that either

In any event, it would still be a whole lot easier if you just said 3 PM, as you did.

Finally, people who use the 12 hour clock are also often confused about whether 12 AM is noon or midnight, so don't let that discourage you.

I was half way through making the same points when you posted. I agree, depending on context I might say "3 PM"or "fifteen hundred" but never just "fifteen" although the British Meteorological Office uses "fifteen hours".

In the UK public transit timetables have used the 24 hour clock for over 50 years and you would be unlikely to find an adult BrE speaker who has problems with switching automatically between formats.

 

[jutfrank]

Speaking for the UK: Pretty much everybody is very familiar with the 24-hour clock and has no problems at all using it, but we wouldn't normally say 'fifteen thirty'. We read 15.30 but we say 'three thirty', or 'half three'.