几点 · 三点十分
telling the time: hours with 点, minutes with 分
Structure
数词 + 点 （+ 数词 + 分） · 两点（不说 二点） · 早上／上午／中午／下午／晚上 + 时间
What it means
Ask the time with 几点: 现在几点？ Hours take 点 and minutes take 分: 三点十分 is 3:10.
How it is built
Part of the day + number + 点 + number + 分: 下午三点二十五分 (3:25 pm). From ten minutes up 分 is often dropped (三点二十); under ten say 两点零五 or 两点五分.
When to use it
The part of the day comes first (下午三点), and the whole time goes before the verb, like any time word: 我七点起床 (I get up at seven).
Watch out
✗ 二点 ✓ 两点: two o’clock is always 两点, but twelve is 十二点. ✗ 我起床七点。 ✓ 我七点起床。 The time never goes at the end.
Examples
现在几点？——下午三点二十五分。
What time is it? — Twenty-five past three in the afternoon.
现在两点零五分。
It’s five past two.
我们晚上八点见。
See you at eight this evening.
我早上七点起床，九点上班。
I get up at seven and start work at nine.
Learn this in HSK 1 · Lesson 9: 现在几点 (Telling the time)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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