Tell time American vs. UK style

[O T B]

This may sounds stupid. How do you tell time American vs. UK style?

Thank you very much.

 

[Anglika]

There is no difference in the way that each tells time; there are differences in the way this is expressed.

 

[O T B]

Thank you very much.

Is it possible to give examples?

Very appreciate your help.

Due to the way they teach english in my country, I always heard something like, American style, UK style and so on.

 

[Raymott]

Thank you very much.

Is it possible to give examples?

Very appreciate your help.

Due to the way they teach english in my country, I always heard something like, American style, UK style and so on.

I can't answer you definitively, since I'm neither American nor British. But most ways of telling the time are understandable.

Variants which are ambiguous and not AusE are: "Half nine", and "a quarter of nine", which I think refer to time before the hour, but neither of which I would swear to universally.

 

[kfredson]

I can't answer you definitively, since I'm neither American nor British. But most ways of telling the time are understandable.

Variants which are ambiguous and not AusE are: "Half nine", and "a quarter of nine", which I think refer to time before the hour, but neither of which I would swear to universally.

It would be interesting to compare the ways of telling time than exist across the various oceans. Here in the United States we would say such things as:

Half past nine (never half nine, although I assume that means a half hour before nine.) And we'd never say half to nine.

A quarter past nine or a quarter to nine.

Nine-thirty.

Ten past nine.

 

[orangutan]

I have sometimes heard "half nine" in the UK, and as far as I know it always meant 9.30.

Some of my American colleagues say "ten till nine" where in the UK we would say "ten to nine".

 

[bhaisahab]

I have sometimes heard "half nine" in the UK, and as far as I know it always meant 9.30.

Some of my American colleagues say "ten till nine" where in the UK we would say "ten to nine".

Yes, I've heard "half nine" to mean 9:30 too.

 

[richuk]

I have sometimes heard "half nine" in the UK, and as far as I know it always meant 9.30.

Some of my American colleagues say "ten till nine" where in the UK we would say "ten to nine".

Yes we often say half six-6:30, etc ;-)

 

[IHIVG]

Yes, I've heard "half nine" to mean 9:30 too.

Interesting! I would have thought it's 8:30 for a reason.

 

[Barb_D]

You will also hear "of" in the US.

8:45 is "quarter of nine" or "quarter to nine" (or, although this isn't one I use, "quarter till nine").

 

[kfredson]

Interesting! I would have thought it's 8:30 for a reason.

The reason may be that in German "half nine" (halb neun) means 8:30. I would imagine there have some Germans in England who have shown up at performances an hour early!

 

[IHIVG]

The reason may be that in German "half nine" (halb neun) means 8:30.

Thanks, but I don't usually think in German :lol:, despite having learned this language in school.

It was based on my logic that the half of something is less than the whole.