Read digital time
Theory
Reading digital time is a Year 3 skill: a digital clock shows the time as h:mm, where the colon separates the hour from the minutes. This page explains how to read a digital clock, link it to o'clock, half past and quarter past, keep the zero in times like 11:05, work out the minutes to the next hour, order digital times and add am or pm. Writing am and pm is Year 4 content in both the Australian and the Victorian Curriculum; it appears here because digital clocks often show it. Curriculum: VC2M3M04 / AC9M3M04.
A digital clock shows the time with numbers, like 4:35. The two numbers are joined by a colon (:). The number before the colon is the hour and the number after it is the minutes. So \(4\!:\!35\) is 35 minutes past 4 o'clock, and we say it as "four thirty-five". The minutes after the colon are always minutes past the hour, never minutes to it.
There are 60 minutes in 1 hour, so the minutes count from 00 up to 59. The minutes always show two digits. When there are only a few minutes the clock keeps a zero: \(11\!:\!05\) means 5 minutes past 11, not 50. After \(:\!59\) the minutes start again at \(00\) and the hour goes up by one, so one minute after \(6\!:\!59\) the clock shows \(7\!:\!00\).
Times you know from an analog clock have digital forms too. "O'clock" is \(:\!00\), "half past" is \(:\!30\), and "quarter past" is \(:\!15\). Many clocks also show am or pm.
am is for times from midnight to midday (the morning) and pm is for times from midday to midnight (the afternoon, evening and night). Midday is written \(12\!:\!00\) pm and midnight is \(12\!:\!00\) am.
Reading digital time does not need formulas, but these time facts help you read and rename any digital clock.
| We say | Minutes past | Digital time (past 10) |
|---|---|---|
| o'clock | 00 | 10:00 |
| quarter past | 15 | 10:15 |
| half past | 30 | 10:30 |
| quarter to (next hour) | 45 | 10:45 |
How to read a digital time
- Find the colon. It splits the time into two parts: the hour on the left and the minutes on the right.
- Read the hour first. Say the number before the colon as the hour.
- Read the minutes. Say the two digits after the colon as the minutes past the hour, keeping any zero (05 is five, not fifty).
How to say minutes to the next hour
- Take the minutes away from 60. For \(2\!:\!40\), \(60 - 40 = 20\).
- Say them to the next hour. \(2\!:\!40\) is 20 minutes to 3, or "twenty to three".
How to add am or pm
- Think about when it happens. After midnight and before midday (the morning) is am.
- Afternoon, evening or night (after midday, before midnight) is pm. Write it after the time, like \(4\!:\!20\) pm.
| \(\text{hour}\) | \(=\) | \(10\) |
| \(\text{minutes}\) | \(=\) | \(25\) |
We say "twenty-five past ten".
| \(\dfrac{1}{2}\text{ hour}\) | \(=\) | \(30\text{ minutes}\) |
| \(30\text{ minutes past }4\) | \(=\) | \(4\!:\!30\) |
Half past means 30 minutes, so the answer is \(4\!:\!30\).
| \(8\!:\!52 \to 9\!:\!00\) | \(=\) | \(60 - 52\) |
| \(60 - 52\) | \(=\) | \(8\) |
It is \(8\) minutes to 9, so \(8\!:\!52\) is "eight minutes to nine".
| \(\text{hours}\) | \(=\) | \(3,\ 3,\ 3\) |
| \(\text{minutes}\) | \(:\) | \(05 \lt 15 \lt 50\) |
The hour is the same, so order the minutes: \(3\!:\!05,\ 3\!:\!15,\ 3\!:\!50\).
(i) Write it as a digital time with am or pm.
(ii) Say the time as minutes to the next hour.
| \(\text{hour hand}\) | \(\to\) | \(\text{between }1\text{ and }2\) |
| \(\text{minute hand} \to 8\) | \(=\) | \(40\text{ min}\) |
| \(60 - 40\) | \(=\) | \(20\text{ min to }2\) |
(i) \(1\!:\!40\) pm, because it is in the afternoon.
(ii) Twenty to two.
| \(\text{twenty past }4\) | \(=\) | \(4\!:\!20\) |
| \(\text{afternoon}\) | \(\to\) | \(\text{pm}\) |
Swimming starts at \(4\!:\!20\) pm.
Common pitfalls
Frequently asked questions
How do you read a digital clock?
Read the number before the colon as the hour, then the number after the colon as the minutes. For \(4\!:\!35\) you say four thirty-five, which is 35 minutes past 4.
What does the colon mean in a digital time?
The colon separates the hour from the minutes. The number before it is the hour and the number after it is the minutes. It is not a decimal point.
Does 11:05 mean 5 or 50 minutes past eleven?
It means 5 minutes past eleven. Minutes always show two digits, so the zero holds the tens place and \(05\) equals 5, not 50.
What is half past in digital time?
Half past is 30 minutes past the hour, because half an hour is 30 minutes. So half past eleven is \(11\!:\!30\).
What does quarter to mean on a digital clock?
Quarter to means 15 minutes before the next hour. Quarter to six is 15 minutes before 6, which shows as \(5\!:\!45\).
How do you say 4:35?
Say the hour first, then the minutes: four thirty-five. You can also say twenty-five minutes to five, because \(4\!:\!35\) is 25 minutes before 5 o'clock.