How to correctly ask and say the time in English. Do you know how to say this simple phrase in English? How to say in English what is

Today, almost all schoolchildren and students study English. And this is not surprising, because it is considered international. When you travel to another country, it is not even necessary that English will be the official language there. You can always explain yourself in it, and you will be understood. In tourist places, signs, instructions, signs are always duplicated in English. All major international events are held and covered in English.

But what if you don't know any foreign language? Or do you know very little? Or has your knowledge been forgotten for a very long time? Many people use an English translator to communicate. Most often they use online versions. This is definitely a good helper. But do not forget that he, as a rule, translates literally. But English and Russian languages ​​are still different in their structure. And it is preferable to familiarize yourself with or remember the basics of the English language, to know how common spoken words, phrases and expressions will sound in a foreign language. This will never be superfluous and will help you better navigate in an unfamiliar environment.

In this article we will look at how to say “I was...” in English.

Verb to be

First, you need to generally understand what this verb is. Verb to be has such meanings as “to be”, “happen”, “to appear”, “to be”, “to consist”, “to be contained”, “to occur”, etc. For example:

Mary was in the library yesterday. - Mary was in the library yesterday.

My father is at work. - My dad is at work.

Also very often this verb is translated according to its meaning:

He is late. - He was late.

My sister is at hospital now. - My sister is in the hospital now.

In some cases verb to be doesn't translate at all. For example:

I am in Moscow now. - I'm in Moscow now.

He isn't at work at the moment. - He is not at work now.

We are happy! - We are happy!

In English the verb to be is special and stands apart because it does not fit the general rules of grammar. When changing tense, it does not require an auxiliary verb. He independently changes his forms. And if the order of words in a sentence is changed, it takes the place of the auxiliary verb. Let's take a closer look at what forms of the verb to be exist in the present, past and future tenses.

Present forms of the verb "to be"

Present tense for verb to be Three forms are typical. This am, is And are. But how do you know which form to use in a given situation? It's very simple. Using the Verb Form to be depends on the subject. The combination will look like this:

He / she / it is…

You / we / they are…

For those who are just starting to learn a foreign language, let us remind you how the above pronouns are translated. I(I) / he(He) / she(she) / it(it) / you(you, you) / we(We) / they(They). It should be remembered that in English there is no division between “you” and “you” (plural) and the respectful “you”. The equivalent of these Russian words is one English - you.

Consider the use of present tense forms of the verb to be on several examples.

I am glad to see you again. - I'm glad to see you again.

He is my best friend. - He is my best friend.

We are in the cinema now. - We're at the cinema now.

The verb "to be" in the past tense in English

Verb to be has two forms in the past tense: was / were. Determining which form to use in a sentence is not difficult. Was used with pronouns I/he/she/it, A were- with the others ( You/we/they). Let's give a few examples.

When I was a child, I dreamed of being a doctor. - When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming a doctor.

As you can see, in the previous example the verb was has no number. Therefore, converting to the past tense is not difficult. When translating into Russian, you should pay attention to the gender and start directly from the context (“was”, “was”, “was”, etc.). Let's give a few more examples.

It was cold. - It was cold.

She was at the swimming pool last Saturday. - Last Saturday she was in the pool.

Future tense of the verb "to be" in English

In the future tense forms are used shall be / will be. However, in modern language the first form is obsolete and has practically fallen out of use. In all cases use will be. But say shall be Yes, it won't be considered an error. You just have to remember that the use shall be only acceptable with pronouns I/we. In other cases, it is always used only will be. Let's give a few examples.

I will be at home tomorrow morning. - I'll be home tomorrow morning.

They will be in the country next summer. - They will be in the village next summer.

As in English it would be: “I was...”. Examples

As we have already found out, with the pronoun I the verb form will be used to be - was. Let us give a number of the most common examples of how it would be in English: “I was...”.

I was at work yesterday. - I was at work yesterday.

I was in Paris last week. - I was in Paris last week.

I was sure of myself. - I was confident in myself.

I was happy to see you! - I was glad to see you!

All the time I was there. - I was there all this time.

I was so happy to get you letter! - I was so happy to receive your letter!

I was very upset that day. - I was very upset that day.

I was afraid. - I was scared.

When I was a child, I dreamed of being an actress. - When I was little, I dreamed of becoming an actress.

Below are common phrases starting with I was, which need to be translated according to their meaning:

I was going to have a lunch. - I was going to have lunch.

I was going to say that I was grateful for your help. - I was going to say that I am grateful for your help.

I was looking forward to it. - I was looking forward to this.

I was looking for you. - I was looking for you.

Now you know the main features of using the verb to b e in the present, past and future tenses, and you can also say with absolute ease, as in English it would be: “I was...”.

English usually uses the 12-hour time system. Exists two main ways to answer to the question “What time is it?” ("How much time?"). In this case, the answer, as a rule, begins with the phrase “ It’ s…” (= “ It is…") - "Now…".

Method 1 – hours + minutes

7:45 – It’ s seven forty– five.
4:11 – It‘ s four eleven.
6:05 – It’ s six O– five. (“0” is pronounced like the English letter “O”).

Method 2 – minutes + preposition PAST / TO + hours

Pretext PAST ("after")– we use it to indicate 1-30 minutes, while saying the hour that has already arrived:

3:18 – It’s eighteen (minutes) past three.
11:25 – It’s twenty-five past eleven.

Pretext TO ("to")– we use it to indicate 31-59 minutes, while saying the number of minutes remaining until the next hour:

7:56 – It’s four (minutes) to eight.
9:59 – It’s one to ten.
2:38 – It’s twenty-two to three.

A quarter past- To When the clock has 15 or 45 minutes, it is customary to use the construction “a quarter past” ("a quarter after") or “ a quarter to” (“quarter to”) respectively:

5:15 – It’s a quarter past five.
8:45 – It’s a quarter to nine.

Half past– when there are 30 minutes on the clock, we use the construction “ half past” (“half after”) and denote the hour that has already arrived:

9:30 – It’ s half past nine(but we can also say “ nine– thirty thirty”).

O'clock- To When it is necessary to voice the exact time (without minutes), we use “ o’ clock”, which translates as “ on the clock»:

3:00 – It’s three o’clock.
5:00 – It’s five o’clock.

In addition, for clarification in English, time is often abbreviated “ a. m" (from Latin “ ante meridiem” – “before noon”), “ p. m.” (from Latin “ post meridiem” - “afternoon”) or expressions “ in the morning” (morning), “in the afternoon” (day), “in the evening” (evenings) etc. For example:

It’ s one a. m. - It's one o'clock in the morning.
It’ s one p. m. - It's one o'clock in the afternoon.
It’s 5 o’clock in the morning.
It’s 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

If you keep your own dictionary of useful expressions in English, then I think this will be an excellent addition to your collection. Or you can simply take note of something, because your vocabulary needs to be replenished at any opportunity. This article is colloquial phrases in English with translation and examples that mean “ I don't care" This is the minimum standard that you will find in any dictionary or third-rate blog, and the maximum of unusual, creative and real live ways to say “ I don't care”! I want you to always sound impressive. In any situation.

I don't care.- I don't care

Why aren't you wearing the uniform? The teacher's going to kill you! - I don't care.

(Why didn't you put on your uniform? The teacher will kill you! - I don't care)

It is all the same (to me)- I don't care

Would you like to eat at a restaurant or at home? - It’s all the same to me.

(Would you like to eat in a restaurant or at home? - I don’t care)

It makes no difference (to me)- I don't care

You know, John and Eric will be at the party. We have to look nice! - It makes no difference to me. They are both idiots.

(You know, John and Eric will be at the party. We need to look good. - I don't care. They're both idiots)

It doesn't matter- Doesn't matter; doesn't matter

If you continue reading this weird shit, they will put you to a madhouse. - It doesn’t matter. As long as I have access to the library.

Whatever- Never mind

He said you were fat. - Whatever. I am fabulous!

(He said you were fat. - Fuck it. I'm a queen!)

I couldn't care less- I don't care

I know your boyfriend’s parents can’t stand you. - We’re going to move to another country so I couldn’t care less.

(I know your boyfriend's parents can't stand you. - We're moving to another country, so I don't care)

Not impressed- It doesn't bother me; I don't care

I’ve won two tickets to “50 Shades”! - Not impressed.

(I won two tickets to “50 Shades of Grey”! - So what?)

I don't give a damn!- It doesn’t bother me

My sister is ill and my hamster has just died… I promise I will give you back your money next month! - I don’t give a damn! I want my money and I want it now!

(My sister is sick and the hamster just died. I promise I'll give you your money back next month! - I don't care! I want my bucks now!)

My give a damn is broken- My attitude of not caring has broken down

(There will be people there who want to talk to you. You should go there. - I don’t care. I’d rather watch The Simpsons online)

I don't give a rat's ass- I don’t care

It's late, we gotta go back. - I don’t give a rat’s ass. I want to dance!

(It’s late, it’s time to go home. - I don’t care. I want to dance!)

I don't give a shit/a flying fuck- I don't care!

Smoking in public places is forbidden, you know that, right? - I don’t give a flying fuck about what’s forbidden and what’s not!

I don't give two flying donuts!- I don't care!

Coca-Cola is harmful for your health. - I don't give two flying donuts! I like it.

(Coca-Cola is harmful to health. - I don’t care! I love it)

You just wasted 2 minutes of my time. I want it back-You just stole 2 minutes of my life! I want them back!

… and this is how I won the third place in eating apples. - You just wasted 2 minutes of my time. I want it back.

(...that's how I won third place in apple eating. - You just stole 2 minutes of my life! I want it back!)

And this is interesting because...?- And this is interesting because...?

… and then we bought some juice and went on the beach. - And this is interesting because...?

(... then we bought juice and went to the beach. - Once again - why should I be interested in this?)

Is this story going to get better or is this it?- Will it become more interesting or not?

… but my mother told me I had to eat my cookies… - Is this story going to get better or is this it?

(... but mom said that I should eat my cookies... - Will this get more interesting later or not?)

I don't give a toss(Brit.) - Don't care