so the time shown is 'half past 12'. First, let's check the hour hand. It is between 10 and 11. When the hour hand is between two numbers we look at the number before the hour hand to tell us ...

We often use descriptions such as 'quarter past' and 'half past' to tell the time, but it's also good to be able to say exactly how many minutes past the hour or how many minutes to the hour it is.