Saying clock times two ways
Read the numbers (“six fifteen”) or count minutes past or to the hour (“quarter past six”). Both are correct; timetables often use numbers. Up to half past, say past; after that, say to and the next hour.
- 6:00 – “six o’clock” (whole hours only)
- 6:15 – “quarter past six” or “six fifteen”
- 6:30 – “half past six” or “six thirty”
- 6:45 – “quarter to seven” or “six forty-five”
- 6:55 – “five to seven” or “six fifty-five”
- American English also uses “after”: “ten after six”.
At, on and in: three words for time
At for a clock time, on for a day or a date, in for a longer period.
- at: “at seven”, “at half past eight”, “at night”
- on: “on Friday”, “on 3 May”, “on Saturday morning”
- in: “in the morning”, “in the evening”, “in May”, “in winter”
- “On Mondays” with -s means every Monday.
- No preposition before every, this, next, today or tomorrow: “every day”, “this evening”.
- “At the weekend” is British; “on the weekend” is American.
How often: from always to never
Frequency adverbs answer “How often …?” Learn them as a scale with the same verb:
- “I always walk.” – every time
- “I usually walk.” – most times; “normally” means the same
- “I often walk.” – many times
- “I sometimes walk.” – on some days, not others
- “I hardly ever drive.” – almost never
- “I never drive.” – at no time
- Exact counts: “once a week”, “twice a month”, “three times a year”, “every day”.
Where the adverb goes in the sentence
The adverb goes before the main verb but after am, is or are. Counts like “twice a week” go at the end.
- Before the main verb: “I usually walk to work.”, “She often takes the bus.”
- After be: “I’m always tired on Mondays.”
- Questions and negatives: “Do you often drive?”, “I don’t usually have breakfast.”
- Counts at the end: “I swim twice a week.”
- Sometimes can also open the sentence: “Sometimes I work at home.”
A short conversation: a normal day and one exception
Listen for the habit (“usually”), the different day (“but on Mondays”) and the reason (“so”). The last reply shows that a frequency adverb can be a whole answer. Then answer the first question about yourself.
Owen What time do you usually get up?
Maya At seven, but on Mondays I get up at half past six.
Owen Why?
Maya My mother has an early class on Mondays, so I take her there.
Owen Do you often drive her?
Maya No, hardly ever.
Writing your weekday in five sentences
Go in time order and put a time or a frequency in every sentence. Finish with one named day that is different:
- “On weekdays I get up at seven and walk to work.” – start
- “I start work at nine and have lunch at one.” – work
- “After work, I often see friends, but I hardly ever go to bed late.” – evening
- “I usually go to bed at eleven.” – bedtime
- “On Fridays I finish at four, so I take the dog for a walk before dinner.” – exception and reason
- Linking words: then, after that, after work, but, so
Common mistakes
Each of these is easy to fix:
- “I walk usually.” Say “I usually walk.”
- “I usually am late.” With be, the adverb comes after: “I’m usually late.”
- “in Monday”, “at the morning”: say “on Monday”, “in the morning”.
- “I don’t never drive.” Never is already negative: “I never drive.”
- “two times in a week”: say “once a week”, “twice a week”, “three times a week”.
- “She usually walk.” Keep the -s: “She usually walks.”
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Say everything out loud; write only at the end.
- 2 minutes: play the conversation and repeat each line.
- 2 minutes: read every clock you see today both ways.
- 3 minutes: say one true sentence about your week for each adverb from always to never.
- 3 minutes: write your five-sentence weekday, then check where each adverb sits.
What comes next
Next comes the present continuous for what is happening now (“Today I’m working at home”), so you can tell a habit from this moment. Then use dates to invite someone to an event, and the past simple to tell the story of one evening.