Shadowing Practice: TIME IN ENGLISH | What time is it? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Welcome to today's lesson!
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It's all about telling time.
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Two o'clock, half past four, 6.30, quarter to nine, 2100, noon.
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What?!
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I'm Arnel from Arnel's Everyday English and today you will become super confident in telling time in English.
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Here I have a clock.
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Remember this is a clock and this is a watch.
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Remember there's a difference.
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What time is it?
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It's one o'clock.
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What time is it?
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It's two o'clock.
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What time is it?
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It's three o'clock.
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What time is it?
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It's four o'clock.
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You get the idea.
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In English when we speak about the time we always say it is.
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Contracted it's.
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It's five o'clock, it's six o'clock,
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it's seven o'clock, it's twelve o'clock.
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If you need to be very specific, we can say a.m and p.m.
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But normally when you're speaking, it's obvious.
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Okay, Arnel, I need you here tomorrow at 6.
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6?
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Perfect!
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See you tomorrow!
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6 a.m.
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A.m?
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12 o'clock.
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It's time for lunch.
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Maybe not in your country,
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but in the USA and in the UK 12 o'clock is lunchtime.
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We can also say noon.
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12 o'clock in the afternoon is noon.
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I'll see you tomorrow at noon.
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What time is it?
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12 o'clock.
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It's midnight.
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I went to bed at midnight.
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Let's get more specific.
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We have a very simple way, there's also a more confusing way,
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but actually this is very easy.
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Let's go through both step by step.
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I have my clock.
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I'm going to use a digital clock here.
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Now it's 1 0 5.
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We pronounce the zero oh now it's 110
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now it's 115 it's 120 it's 145 you can always read the time from left to right with every time.
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It's 820.
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It's 730.
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It's 422.
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It's 1010.
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It's 355.
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But of course, there's another way.
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Let's take a look.
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I have my clock.
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This part is past.
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This part is two.
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Now let's have the hour hand at one.
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It's five past one.
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Ten past one.
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It's quarter past one.
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15 is always quarter past.
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It's 20 past one.
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It's 25 past one.
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It's half past one.
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30 is always half past.
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Let's continue.
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It's 25 to 2.
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It's 20 to 2.
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It's quarter to 2.
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45 is always quarter 2.
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It's 10 to 2.
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It's 5 to 2.
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Now it's 2.
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Always remember quarter past, half past, quarter 2.
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Now it's 2.28.
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Is it really necessary to be so specific?
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Usually no. It's around 2.30.
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It's around half past two.
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Whenever we're telling time you could always use around to give a general period.
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I'll see you tomorrow around nine.
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This could mean ten to nine.
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This could mean 10 past 9.
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Around 9. At.
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Of course, when we tell the time we say it is,
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now it is 2, now it is 4,
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but we use at when we want to say when an activity starts or ends.
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My English lesson starts at 9 in the morning.
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It finishes at 11 in the morning.
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Many of our phones, computers,
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schedules etc. use the 24-hour clock.
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But in English, for example, we would only say 3 o'clock.
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We wouldn't say 15 o'clock, 16 o'clock.
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3 o'clock, 4 o'clock, that's normal.
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Really only in a military type situation would you read out the numbers.
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2100. Oh 100.
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What time is it?
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Do you have the time?
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These are two different ways to ask for the time.
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We do not say, how late is it?
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Arnel, How late is it?
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You have been fantastic!
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In the comments below, tell me what time it is!
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I want to know when you watch this video.
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Please subscribe and I'll see you very soon for another video.
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Thank you.
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Master Telling Time in English: Boost Your Speaking Confidence Fast!

Practicing with this video is your shortcut to sounding natural when talking about time. Whether you’re scheduling a meeting, asking for directions, or chatting with friends, time-related phrases are essential. The video breaks down real-life scenarios, so you’ll learn to speak confidently in contexts you’ll actually use—no boring drills! Plus, it’s perfect for english speaking practice using the shadowing technique: repeat after the speaker to mimic rhythm and intonation. You’ll notice progress in minutes!

Key Grammar & Expressions to Master

The video simplifies time-telling with two main methods. First, the "digital" way: read left to right (e.g., "It’s eight twenty," "Seven thirty"). Second, the "past/to" system: use "past" for 1–30 minutes after the hour ("five past one," "quarter past two") and "to" for 31–59 minutes before the next hour ("twenty to three," "quarter to four"). Remember: 15 minutes = "quarter," 30 minutes = "half past." Also, "around" softens specificity ("around nine")—a must for casual conversations. These structures are easy to learn and instantly make you sound more fluent.

Common Pronunciation Traps (and How to Fix Them)

Watch out for tricky words! "Quarter" (pronounced "kwor-ter") and "half" (not "haf") are often misspoken—use shadow speech to copy the speaker’s clear pronunciation. Also, "o’clock" is casual (e.g., "two o’clock"), but avoid it with "past/to" ("quarter past two," not "quarter past two o’clock"). Don’t forget the "oh" in times like "one oh five" (1:05). The shadowing technique helps you nail these nuances—repeat each phrase slowly, then speed up. You’ll soon speak like a pro!

Ready to start? Grab a clock, hit play, and shadow the speaker. In no time, you’ll be telling time effortlessly. Pro tip: Practice daily for 5 minutes—consistency beats cramming. Your English speaking skills will thank you!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionwill become · I'll see
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowyou're speaking · we're telling

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →