Numbers, Dates & Telling the Time
Say numbers, tell the time (half past, quarter to), and give dates with ordinals. A practical beginner lesson with 20 questions.
Numbers and time are part of daily life — you need them to give your age, talk about prices, make appointments, and arrange your lessons. This practical lesson covers numbers, telling the time, and dates.
Numbers you need first
| 1–10 | Tens | Big numbers |
|---|---|---|
| one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten | twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty | hundred, thousand, million |
Watch the spellingIt’s forty, not “fourty”! And notice the “teen” numbers: thirteen, fourteen, fifteen.
Telling the time
There are two common ways to say the time in English.
| Clock | Simple way | Natural way |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | three o’clock | three o’clock |
| 3:15 | three fifteen | quarter past three |
| 3:30 | three thirty | half past three |
| 3:45 | three forty-five | quarter to four |
| 3:10 | three ten | ten past three |
| 3:50 | three fifty | ten to four |
Past and toUse past for the first half hour (after the hour) and to for the second half (before the next hour). “Quarter past three” = 3:15. “Quarter to four” = 3:45.
- Aisha’s lesson starts at half past six (6:30).
- Omar has a meeting at quarter to nine (8:45).
Dates
For dates, we use ordinal numbers (first, second, third…).
| Number | Ordinal |
|---|---|
| 1 | first (1st) |
| 2 | second (2nd) |
| 3 | third (3rd) |
| 4 | fourth (4th) |
| 5 | fifth (5th) |
- Today is the third of June. (or: June 3rd)
- My birthday is on the twenty-first of May.
Tutor tipPractise saying the time out loud every day — look at a clock and say it in English. Numbers and time only become natural through repetition, not memorising rules.
Try the 20 questions below to practise numbers, time, and dates.
Check your understanding
Answer the questions below. You will see instantly if you are right.
1.How do you write 40 in words?
It is spelled "forty" (no u).
2.3:30 — the natural way to say it is:
3:30 = half past three.
3.3:15 — the natural way to say it is:
3:15 = quarter past three.
4.3:45 — the natural way to say it is:
3:45 = quarter to four.
5.We use "past" for ___.
"past" = minutes after the hour (first half).
6.We use "to" for ___.
"to" = minutes before the next hour.
7.6:30 is:
6:30 = half past six.
8.8:45 is:
8:45 = quarter to nine.
9.The ordinal number for 3 is:
3 → third (3rd).
10.The ordinal number for 5 is:
5 → fifth.
11.The ordinal number for 2 is:
2 → second (2nd).
12."Today is the ___ of June." (1)
1 → first.
13.Which number is spelled correctly?
thirteen is correct.
14.3:10 in the natural way:
3:10 = ten past three.
15.3:50 in the natural way:
3:50 = ten to four.
16."Aisha's lesson starts at 6:30." =
6:30 = half past six.
17.Choose the correct big number word:
thousand is correct.
18.Which is a correct way to say 4:00?
4:00 = four o'clock.
19."My birthday is on the ___ of May." (21)
21 → twenty-first.
20.A quarter of an hour is ___ minutes.
A quarter hour = 15 minutes.
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