Telling Time to the Minute

Between the numbers are small marks. Each one is a single minute.

Count in fives, then ones

Skip count by 5 to the nearest number, then count on one mark at a time.

An example

The long hand just past the 4: count 5, 10, 15, 20, then 21, 22.

The small marks between the numbers

Between each pair of numbers on a clock face there are five small marks — one for each minute. So the long hand pointing three marks past the 4 means 20 + 3 = 23 minutes past. Count to the nearest number in fives, then count on in ones.

Past and to

Up to 30 minutes we usually say "past" the hour: 3:20 is twenty past three. After 30 we often say "to" the next hour: 3:50 is ten to four. Both describe the same moment. The "to" form asks you to work out 60 - 50 = 10, which is why it feels harder at first.

Digital and analogue say the same thing

A digital clock showing 3:23 is the same moment as an analogue clock with the short hand just past 3 and the long hand three marks past the 4. Being able to move between the two is the real skill, because the world uses both.