A0 · Point Zéro Chapitre 5

Talking About Time

3 Règles totales
35 exemples
5 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the clock and the calendar to organize your world and share your plans.

  • Navigate past, present, and future with simple time markers.
  • Use prepositions correctly to describe specific parts of your day.
  • Tell the time clearly using the 'o'clock' system.
Your day, organized and shared with ease.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Want to talk about your day, from 'morning' to 'night'? This chapter makes it simple! We'll explore words like 'Today' and 'Tomorrow,' and even learn how to tell the time, so you can share your simple plans with confidence.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to identify and use 'today', 'tomorrow', and 'yesterday' to sequence events.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to select the correct prepositions (in, at, on) for different times of the day.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to state the current time using 'It is' and 'o'clock'.

Guide du chapitre

Overview

Knowing how to talk about time is one of the most useful skills you'll learn as you begin your English journey. Imagine wanting to share what you did yesterday, what you're doing today, or your fun plans for tomorrow! This chapter will give you the essential building blocks to do just that.
You'll discover easy ways to name different parts of your day, like in the morning or at night, and even learn how to tell someone the time.
This isn't just about learning words; it's about connecting with people and making simple plans. Whether you want to say,
I work today
or "Let's meet at 3 o'clock," mastering these basics will open up new conversations. Getting comfortable with these phrases is a fantastic first step in English talking about time for beginners and a core part of your journey to learn English A0 grammar.
It makes every interaction clearer and helps you organize your daily life in English.
### How This Grammar Works
Let's break down the simple rules for talking about time. We'll start with how to refer to different days, then move to parts of the day, and finally, telling the exact hour.
First, the basic time words for days:
* Today means this day, right now. Example: I eat pizza today.
* Tomorrow means the day after today. When you talk about tomorrow, you usually use a verb for the future, like will. Example: I will eat pizza tomorrow.
* Yesterday means the day before today. When you talk about yesterday, you use a verb for the past. Example: I ate pizza yesterday. Notice ate is the past of eat.
Next, let's look at parts of the day:
* We use the word in for larger parts of the day, like in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening. Example: I drink coffee in the morning.
* For night, we use at. Example: I sleep at night.
* When you add a specific day, like for the weekend or a specific day of the week, we use on. Example: I relax on the weekend. Or: I go to work on Monday.
Finally, telling the time for exact hours:
* When the minutes are zero, we use o'clock. It's very simple! Example: It's 7 o'clock. Or: My class is at 9 o'clock. We say the number first, then o'clock.
### Common Mistakes
Here are a few easy-to-make mistakes and how to fix them to sound more natural.
  1. 1Wrong verb tense with yesterday or tomorrow.
✗ I will eat breakfast yesterday. (Incorrect tense for past action)
✓ I ate breakfast yesterday. (Use past tense for yesterday)
✗ I played soccer tomorrow. (Incorrect tense for future action)
✓ I will play soccer tomorrow. (Use future tense for tomorrow)
  1. 1Using the wrong small word for parts of the day.
✗ I read book on night.
✓ I read book at night. (Use at for night)
✗ We meet at the morning.
✓ We meet in the morning. (Use in for morning)
  1. 1Forgetting "o'clock" for exact hours or using it incorrectly.
✗ It's 3 time.
✓ It's 3 o'clock. (Use o'clock for exact hours)
✗ It's 3 o'clock and thirty minutes. (No, o'clock is only for exact hours)
✓ It's 3 o'clock. (Only use o'clock when the minutes are zero)
### Real Conversations
See how these simple time words help in everyday chats:
A: What do you do today?
B: I work in the morning. Then, I relax in the afternoon.
A: What time is it?
B: It's 5 o'clock.
A: Oh! I go home at 5 o'clock.
A: Do you work on the weekend?
B: No, I relax on the weekend. I will visit my friend tomorrow.
### Quick FAQ
Q: How do you ask someone what time it is in English?
A: You can simply ask,
What time is it?
or "What's the time?" These are both very common and polite.
Q: Can I say morning without in the?
A: Yes, you can say Good morning! or
See you tomorrow morning.
But when you describe an action happening during that part of the day, you usually use
in the morning.
For example:
I eat breakfast in the morning.
Q: What if the time is not an exact hour (like 3:30)?
A: At the A0 level, focus on o'clock for exact hours. You will learn how to say other times later, but for now, "It's 3 o'clock" is perfect if the clock shows 3:00.
Q: What are some other common time words for A0 learners?
A: Good question! You can also learn now (for this moment) and later (for a time after now). For example:
I am busy now. I will call you later.
### Cultural Context
English speakers use these simple time expressions constantly in daily life. Saying
at night,
in the morning,
or
tomorrow
is very natural and expected. Don't worry about being too formal; these basic phrases are the building blocks for all kinds of conversations, from making plans with friends to talking about your workday.
Just keep it simple and consistent with the rules you've learned.

Exemples clés (6)

1

I have a meeting `today` at 10 AM.

J'ai une réunion aujourd'hui à 10h.

Mots de temps de base : Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier
2

She will call me `tomorrow` afternoon.

Elle m'appellera demain après-midi.

Mots de temps de base : Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier
3

I usually drink tea `in the morning`.

Je bois généralement du thé le matin.

Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end
4

Let's have lunch `in the afternoon`.

Déjeunons l'après-midi.

Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end
5

The store opens at eight o'clock in the morning.

Le magasin ouvre à huit heures du matin.

Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure
6

I have a meeting at two thirty pm.

J'ai une réunion à deux heures trente de l'après-midi.

Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure

Conseils et astuces (3)

💡

La place est flexible

Les mots Today, Tomorrow et Yesterday peuvent souvent se placer au début ou à la fin d'une phrase. Pour commencer, les mettre à la fin est souvent une bonne idée, mais n'hésite pas à expérimenter ! Par exemple :
I have an exam tomorrow.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Mots de temps de base : Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier
💡

Pense à ça comme à un modèle

N'essaie pas de trouver une logique compliquée pour chaque préposition ; souvent, c'est juste une habitude. Mémorise 'in the morning', 'in the afternoon', 'in the evening', 'at night', 'on the weekend' comme des expressions fixes.
I always wake up in the morning.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end
💡

Entraîne-toi avec ta routine quotidienne

Dis à voix haute l'heure de tout ce que tu fais. Par exemple,
I wake up at seven am,
I eat dinner at six pm.
Ça t'aide à bien ancrer les phrases naturellement.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure

Vocabulaire clé (7)

Today The current day Tomorrow The day after today Yesterday The day before today Morning The early part of the day Night The time when it is dark Weekend Saturday and Sunday O'clock Of the clock (used for top of the hour)

Real-World Preview

users

Meeting a Friend

Review Summary

  • [Time Word] + [Verb]
  • In the [Period] / At [Night] / On the [Weekend]
  • It is + [Number] + o'clock

Erreurs courantes

While we use 'in the' for morning/afternoon, 'night' always takes the preposition 'at'.

Wrong: I work in the night.
Correct: I work at night.

In English, we use 'o'clock' to tell the time. 'Hours' refers to a duration of time, not a point on the clock.

Wrong: It is 5 hours.
Correct: It is 5 o'clock.

We use 'on' for days and the weekend in American English (though 'at' is used in British English, 'on' is standard for A0 learners).

Wrong: I see you in the weekend.
Correct: I see you on the weekend.

Next Steps

You're doing great! Being able to talk about time is a huge step toward fluency. Keep practicing your 'o'clocks'!

Look at your watch every hour and say the time out loud.

Write three sentences about what you did yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Continue to: Survival & Socializing

Pratique rapide (8)

Trouve et corrige l'erreur.

Find and fix the mistake:

The party begins at seven o'clock pm.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The party begins at seven pm.
Ne combine pas o'clock avec am ou pm. Dis soit 'seven o'clock' soit 'seven pm'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure

Quelle phrase est correcte ?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She works hard in the morning.
Nous utilisons 'in the morning' pour faire référence à la période générale du matin.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end

Trouve et corrige l'erreur.

Find and fix the mistake:

They often go shopping in weekend.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: They often go shopping on the weekend.
Pour 'weekend', la préposition correcte est 'on', et nous incluons généralement 'the'. Donc, 'on the weekend' est correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end

Quelle phrase est correcte ?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: My alarm rings at six thirty am.
Les minutes suivent directement l'heure. Am ou pm vient après l'heure complète.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure

Choisis la bonne préposition.

I like to read books ___ the evening.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: in
Pour 'evening', nous utilisons la préposition 'in'. Donc, 'in the evening' est correct.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Parties du jour : Le matin, La nuit, Le week-end

Quelle phrase utilise correctement le mot de temps ?

Choisis la phrase correcte :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She went to the gym yesterday.
Yesterday n'a pas besoin de la préposition 'on'. Le verbe au passé 'went' est également correct pour une action passée.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Mots de temps de base : Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier

Choisis la bonne façon de dire l'heure.

The class starts at nine _____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: o'clock
O'clock est utilisé pour les heures pile.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Il est 3 heures — Dire l'heure

Choisis le bon mot de temps.

I will visit my grandma ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tomorrow
Puisque 'will visit' indique une action future, tomorrow est le bon choix.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Mots de temps de base : Aujourd'hui, Demain, Hier

Score: /8

Questions fréquentes (6)

Les trois mots de temps de base sont Today (le jour actuel), Tomorrow (le jour après aujourd'hui) et Yesterday (le jour avant aujourd'hui). Ils t'aident à parler facilement du moment où les choses se passent. Par exemple :
I will see you tomorrow.
Généralement, non ! Ces mots agissent comme des adverbes de temps et n'ont généralement pas besoin de prépositions comme 'on' ou 'in'. Par exemple, dis :
I saw him yesterday
, et non
I saw him on yesterday.
Pour ces trois parties de la journée, on utilise presque toujours 'in the'. Par exemple, 'in the morning', 'in the afternoon' et 'in the evening' sont corrects.
I eat breakfast in the morning.
Tu utilises 'at night' pour parler de la période générale de la nuit. Par exemple,
I like to sleep at night
ou
The stars shine at night
.
Dis juste l'heure, puis les minutes ! Par exemple, 4:20 se dit 'four twenty'. C'est direct et presque toujours compris.
Tu utilises 'o'clock' uniquement pour les heures pile, comme 'five o'clock' pour 5:00. C'est une expression spéciale juste pour ces moments précis.
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