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In terms of time with only hours and minutes, it is fine. However, I would like to know, how to say a time with seconds? Like 11:20:20 or 09:35:05. Thanks for that~

  • Is there something wrong with the way you've done it in your question? – John Clifford Apr 02 '16 at 16:33
  • @JohnClifford Sorry it is my first time to post a question. What's wrong do you think? –  Apr 02 '16 at 16:34
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    My point is that the way you've said a time with seconds in the question is correct. :P – John Clifford Apr 02 '16 at 16:35
  • Perhaps OP is asking how you *say* it rather than how you write it. “eleven twenty and twenty seconds” – Jim Apr 02 '16 at 16:37
  • @JohnClifford Oh my mean is how to speak that in spoken English. I already know that like 11:25, it should be spoken as eleven twenty five. My question is: how to speak sometime with seconds?~~ –  Apr 02 '16 at 16:38
  • I would say "eleven twenty and twenty seconds" for the first and "nine thirty-five and five seconds" for the second. – zondo Apr 02 '16 at 16:39
  • What zondo said, I wasn't 100% sure whether that was what you were asking for or I'd have posted as an answer. It's also likely to be closevoted citing lack of research, or suggesting migration to English Language Learners, unfortunately. – John Clifford Apr 02 '16 at 16:43
  • I answered in a comment because I felt that while you had a genuine interest in knowing the answer and I genuinely wanted to help you, I felt that the question wasn’t really suited to ELU since most native speakers would know this answer. It’s a better fit for ELL but may be a dupe over there- I don’t know- I didn’t bother to check. – Jim Apr 02 '16 at 16:46
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    @JohnClifford Oh yes there is another site. Sorry I don't know that, since almost every time I search google brings me here~ –  Apr 02 '16 at 16:55
  • Here's a link to help you find the other site: [ell.se]. – J.R. Apr 02 '16 at 17:50

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As a result of this question I discovered that the Speaking Clock is still alive and well in Britain.

Since most people nowadays have all kinds of devices - computers, mobile phones, quartz digital watches etc - which tell them the exact time, I suppose the Speaking Clock is not as much a part of everyday life as it was in the 40s, 50s and 60s (it began life in 1936).

In London, with the old telephone dials which used to have letters in groups of three, as well as numbers, you used to dial TIM to get the time, and the clock was known as Tim.

It used to say At the third stroke it will be nine, fifty seven and fifty seconds - pip, pip, pip; then At the third stroke it will be nine, fifty eight precisely - pip, pip, pip; thus giving you the exact time every ten seconds.

Nowadays you have to dial 123 on a BT phone, and the name of BT is introduced into the announcements - rather ridiculously asserting At the third stroke the BT time will be... Until tonight I had not realised that time was the property of a private company called BT!

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  • Stating the time as "BT time" can arguably make sense. Time itself, and the number assigned to it, are not absolute - if you call this service from abroad you may get the message after some delay (a fraction of a second), not to mention time zone differences. I doubt if this is the reason, though. – laugh salutes Monica C Apr 03 '16 at 06:22
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11:20:20 would be "Eleven twenty and twenty seconds."
09:35:05 would be "Nine thirty-five and five seconds."

I'd probably understand what you meant if you said, "eleven twenty twenty" or "nine thirty-five oh-five," But I wouldn't use that in general, and certainly not in a formal situation.