# English in Use/Time and Date

Here are some hints on **how to express the date and time in
English**:

## Date

-   The day of the month, the month, and the year:
    -   Use *on* + ordinal of the day. *On the 1st of June*.
    -   Use *in + only* and the month. *In June*.
    -   Use *about the* + date (for approximate dates). *About the 25th
        of December*.
-   Day of the week: precedes *on*. Example: *open on Sundays*.
-   Ask the date: *what\'s the date* and *what day is it (or today)?*.
-   Answer a date asking: *today\'s the* + ordinal. *Today\'s the 16th.*
-   Century: *in the* + the ordinal of the century. Example: *in the
    20th century*.
-   Decade:
    -   Precedes *in* with the number in plural: *in the 1990s*.
    -   Follows *something* for undetermined year of the decade, in
        other words: *in 1980 something*.
-   Era:
    -   A.D. = *Anno Domini*, Latin for *in the year
        of the Lord*, in other words the Christian Era.
    -   B.C. = *Before Christ*, in other words *before Christian Era*.

## Time

-   Ask the time: *What time is it?* and *What is the time?*
-   Answer: *It is* and the part of the hour or the minutes, seconds:
    *It is five o\'clock*.
-   Parts of the day:
    -   morning: *in the morning*
    -   afternoon: *in the afternoon*
    -   evening: *in the evening*
    -   night: *at night*
    -   Halves:
        -   AM
        -   PM
-   Parts of the hour:
    -   O\'clock, for example: *It is
        one o\'clock* (1:00).
    -   Past and
        to:
        -   *It is 4 minutes past 5 (5:04)* (or *4 minutes after 5* in
            USA).
        -   *It is 20 to 5 (4:40)* (or *20 before 5* in USA).
    -   Quarter:
        -   A quarter past, for example: *It is a quarter past 9 (9:15)*
            (or *a quarter after 9* in USA).
        -   A quarter to, for example: *It is a quarter to 12 (11:45)*
            (or *a quarter before 12* in USA).
    -   Half past, for example: *It is
        half past 9 (9:30)*.
-   Answer to *when?*:
    -   Certain time: *At*, for example: *At 5 p.m.*.
    -   Proximity:
        -   Nearly, about : *It is about 10 o\'clock*.
        -   Just after: *It is just after 10* (a few minutes past 10).
-   Synonyms for times:
    -   *Noon*, *Midday*: 12:00 in the 24 hour clock. *It is 5 past
        noon* (12:05).
    -   *Midnight*: 0:00 in the 24 hour clock. *Half past midnight*
        (00:30).
