What time do you make it?

[Auldlangsyne]

What time do you make it?

What is wrong with asking someone the time this way?

I asked native speakers of the English language on two occasions for the time as in question, and they did not seem to understand what I was asking for. I do agree that it is an uncommon expression but I like it, and I was once told that it’s just another way of asking the time.

I found a thread in the forum, from the other year, explaining that one asking for time this way, addresses the question to another person not having a watch, in which case, I understand the meaning would be:

What time, do you think, it is now?

Although it makes sense to me, I do not understand why people were so surprised. It is still asking for the time. Is it old-fashioned? I don't want to stop using it but maybe I should?

 

[bhaisahab]

"What time do you make it?" seems perfectly OK to me.

 

[lotus888]

What time do you make it?

What is wrong with asking someone the time this way?

Maybe you meant "What time do you make it to be?"

It's a rather uncommon phrase in American English. You'd more commonly hear:

What time do you think it is?



--lotus

 

[Jill Dorchester]

Personally, when I hear "What time do you make it?" I picture two people synchronizes their watches.....either two soldiers, or two crooks planning a caper, or two undercover police officers planning a mission.

 

[riquecohen]

I'm glad that the OP likes the question, but it certainly isn't the way to ask someone the time in AmE,(except in the situations that Jill and Lotus describe.) Bhai has said that it's OK in BrE, but if you want to ask somebody in the US what the time is, the most common phrases are "Do you have the time?", "What time do you have?" and "What time is it, please?"

 

[Auldlangsyne]

Personally, when I hear "What time do you make it?" I picture two people synchronizes their watches.....either two soldiers, or two crooks planning a caper, or two undercover police officers planning a mission.

The meaning depends on which side of the pond you live then, by the sound of it. Since they were Britons, I draw a conclusion that they might have been oblivious of any of the examples. Had it been otherwise I would have been informed what time it was, most likely followed by a questioning look :lol:, but still.

 

[Auldlangsyne]

I'm glad that the OP likes the question, but it certainly isn't the way to ask someone the time in AmE,(except in the situations that Jill and Lotus describe.) Bhai has said that it's OK in BrE, but if you want to ask somebody in the US what the time is, the most common phrases are "Do you have the time?", "What time do you have?" and "What time is it, please?"

I think that it would never cross my mind to ask anybody “do you have the time?” as it sounds to me a bit like “do you have a minute?” (e.g., for a quick chat). But that is certainly good to know all the differences, especially that I meet Americans every now and then.

 

[Raymott]

How good is your spoken English? You only have to make a few errors of intonation, and that request could be perplexing.
What time do you make it? What time do you make it? What time do you make it? All of these might elicit a 'Huh?' from me. And if 'time' is pronounced even slightly wrongly - given that it's the only content word in the sentence - the whole meaning could be lost.
Maybe tapping your wrist with your finger at the same time as the request would increase understanding. Or you could buy a watch. ;-)
(All of the above would be understood in Aus. We tend not to say "Do you have the time?" It can lead to some extremely lame Carry On comebacks.)

 

[MikeNewYork]

"What time do you have?" is far more natural for me than "What time do you make it?"

 

[Tdol]

The meaning depends on which side of the pond you live then, by the sound of it.

Not really IMO- I would be more likely to use it in BrE when I was checking the time, if I didn't trust my watch, for instance, or synchronising. If I just wanted to know the time,I'd ask What time is it? or Do you have the time?

 

[Auldlangsyne]

My speaking English? Apparently it is pretty good, so I was told by a few English teachers and native speakers. The hard part begins when it comes to writing and grammar (a/an/the, punctuation, tenses). There was no doubt about me saying it incorrectly – with wrong intonation, at least I think so. However, occasionally there are situations when people do not know the meaning of some words, such as “sweater”, and use only “jumper”, that is why i thought it could be the case here.

I am very glad that I was reassured as to the use of the phrase in question, that it is perfectly fine to use it in the UK, and broader input on the issue. I also do appreciate pointing out how I should ask for time in America/Australia to sound natural. There are actually more issues on my list “to sort out” related to the use of certain expressions both in America and Australia vs. Great Britain, but I'll leave it for later.

I do not wear my watch anymore, and there are a few reasons for that, but I may want to think of it shortly.

I trust I will not be pepper sprayed when I ask “do you have the time” next time in the UK. I think it would be essential not to forget the ”the” article to be on the safe side :-D. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Raymott]

My speaking English? No, your spoken English, as I said. When you speak English, that English has been spoken. This is what we call it - spoken English, written English.
I trust I will not be pepper sprayed when I ask “do you have the time” next time in the UK. I think it would be essential not to forget the ”the” article to be on the safe side :-D. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I don't think the article makes a big difference if the hearer wants to misunderstand that message.

 

[Auldlangsyne]

I actually meant to write “spoken” – I must had been miles away.

I am right about the article then, I take it. That was the aim of my thread – to dispel any doubts and misunderstandings, and not to multiply them.

 

[Tdol]

I trust I will not be pepper sprayed when I ask “do you have the time” next time in the UK.

You should just be told the time without being assaulted. Also, I don't know a single BrE speaker who is not familiar with the words sweater and jumper. :up:

 

[Auldlangsyne]

I don't know a single BrE speaker who is not familiar with the words sweater and jumper. :up:

Nah. The word from outer space was only ‘sweater’ :-D . it was later most kindly explained to me by an English native speaker that ‘jumper’ would be a better choice to use in future because ‘sweater’ is more common in America, however, both words should be understood in the UK.

 

[emsr2d2]

"Sweater" and "jumper" are equally used and understood in BrE. In my opinion, "sweater" sounds a little more formal and old-fashioned but plenty of people still use it. There is also the word "pullover" which is definitely more old-fashioned.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In AmE, a "jumper" is a sleeveless dress worn by girls over some sort of shirt or blouse. When I went to grammar school, the girl's uniform included a jumper.

 

[emsr2d2]

That sounds like a pinafore [dress] to me (in BrE). Do you mean like this?

 

[MikeNewYork]

It was similar to a few of them.

 

[MikeNewYork]

In my school they were similar to this: