Usually to the nearest five, but I add "it's about" just before. Even if it's on an exact number, I still say "it's about".
Poll: Telling the time
- Thread starter Ectoplasmicz
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Depends completely on the situation in which someone's asking for the time.
Sometimes I'll just go with parroting what I just read on the clock; sort of acting with no trace of conscious thought. It's the equivalent of when you look at the clock and don't know what time it is afterwards. Only I've told it to someone before forgetting it.
I guess I normally round to the nearest five minutes, but I often just go to the nearest quarter hour as well, since that's how telling the time works in Norwegian I guess. I'll normally round 10:40 to "quart to 11" (to translate in a very literal fashion).
Sometimes I'll just go with parroting what I just read on the clock; sort of acting with no trace of conscious thought. It's the equivalent of when you look at the clock and don't know what time it is afterwards. Only I've told it to someone before forgetting it.
I guess I normally round to the nearest five minutes, but I often just go to the nearest quarter hour as well, since that's how telling the time works in Norwegian I guess. I'll normally round 10:40 to "quart to 11" (to translate in a very literal fashion).
I have an analogue wrist-watch so it just tends to be easier to round to nearest 5 so i don't have to count the tiny lines around the edge, but i guess if (like one of my friends) i'd grown with a digital watch, which tell the exact time quite clearly, i'd be saying it as exact as it was displayed.
It's about convenience, i guess.
It's about convenience, i guess.
I do that as well.Cpt_Oblivious said:
Though I don't do that as it just seems lazy.Cpt_Oblivious said:
- Omni ^_^
Every single time. Every. Single. Time.CODE-D said:
Them I say "about/just before/just after" and round to the nearest quarter of an hour.
I also usually guess; I don't even check my watch until I've said it, I merely look at my watch to confirm my guess.
Nearest five. Haven't met anyone so far who says the exact time, but then I again... I don't really ask for the time very often.
Ive seen many threads with less point than thisCapt. Crankypants said:
Its more of getting an idea of how other people go about to everyday things in their lives. Something that interests me i guess!
mireko said:
You win this round.
OT: I wear a digital wrist watch so I tell the time exactly how it is.
I'm not some stupid good-for-nothing that's too lazy to look at an analog clock!
I concur, if you want to get somewhere on time only exact time will do. I always tell the exact time, however my watch is 1 minute 20 seconds fast at the moment and I haven't got round to correcting it so I have to subtract that every time I check.krazykidd said:I tell the exact time . I HATE when i ask people the time and they round it . Why? Because when i ask what time it is , i want to know exacly what time it is. But thats just me , i always like to know exacly what time it is when i am doing stuff . Since i got an cell phone , i check the time every few minutes . Even at work i am always pulling out my phone to check the time . It's one of the things i do just because . And since i don'ttrust peolle to tell me the exact time since most people round it , i stop asking and use my phone .ectoplasmicz said:How do you tell the time when telling it to somebody else?
I personally round it to the nearest 5, but it seems it really bugs me when others say the exact time. It's simply a pet peeve of mine. Then ive met other people who round it to the nearest 10, which seemed to annoy me just as much!
In my own opinion (im not trying to tell everyone this is how it has to be) the time should be told rounding to the nearest 5. If it is 10:03 it is 5 past 10. If it it 10:37 it is 25 to 11 etc etc.
So how do you tell the time? Do you say it exactly, round to the nearest 5? To the nearest 10? (Or something crazy like to the nearest hour
Does anyone else in Britain use the BT talking clock (dialing 123) when they can't trust the time given? (i.e thinks watch might be fast or slow)
Rounding to the nearest 5. Kind of what happens with an analogue watch. If, say, it's currently in the region of 17:45, I vary massively as to how I describe it though.
It could be quarter to 6, five forty-five, seventeen forty-five, quarter to, or even 'shit I'm late!'
People who say something like 'It's about five forty-three' always amuse me.
It could be quarter to 6, five forty-five, seventeen forty-five, quarter to, or even 'shit I'm late!'
People who say something like 'It's about five forty-three' always amuse me.
I completely hate the "x till y" or "x past y" methods. What I say when asked for the time depends on what I look at for it. If I look at something digital like my cellphone or computer screen then I'll say whats exactly on it because there's no real reason not to, but if it's a basic wall clock then I'll round to the nearest 5.
If I want to mess with the person asking and it's at least a few hours after noon then I'll give it in military time.
If I want to mess with the person asking and it's at least a few hours after noon then I'll give it in military time.