it's ten of 5.00

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Madhulk

#460382 Fri, 04 Jan 08 02:41 PM

Okay, so I know many ways to answer the question "What's the time/What time is it". For example: It's 10 to five (16:50) or 50 past 16. But can someone tell me what does "ten of 5.00" (it's ten of 5.00) mean? Is it 10 to 5 or 10 past 5 and what does this "of" doing in the middle?

Madhulk

Joined on Mon, Dec 17 2007

Bulgaria

Regular Member (946)

THE MAN OF STEEL

Seonaid

#460384 Fri, 04 Jan 08 02:44 PM

Hi,

As a native British English speaker I have to say I have never heard this expression before, and I wonder if the person you heard it from made a mistake.

Seonaid

Seonaid

Joined on Mon, Nov 26 2007

London

New Member (41)

British English, Expressions

Grammar Geek

#460385 Fri, 04 Jan 08 02:46 PM

It's common in the US to say "It's ten of..." in addition to "It's ten to..."

If it's 16:50, then it's ten of five.

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,179)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Seonaid

#460393 Fri, 04 Jan 08 03:01 PM

Wow, I had no idea... interesting!

Seonaid

Philip

#460398 Fri, 04 Jan 08 03:18 PM

Grammar Geek wrote:

It's common in the US to say "It's ten of..." in addition to "It's ten to..."

If it's 16:50, then it's ten of five.

Pronunciations that are common: ten-da-five (ten to five); ten-a-five (ten of five).

Philip

Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005

USA Pacific Northwest (Seattle)

Veteran Member (5,880)

At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen

Grammar

khoff

#460405 Fri, 04 Jan 08 03:45 PM

Yes, it's common in the U.S. to say "it's ten of five", meaning "ten minutes before five o'clock" -- but don't worry about why we say it that way, or the meaning of the "of" -- you'll only get a headache! Just accept it as an idiom.

(I've been saying it all my life, and now, suddenly, it seems ridiculously strange to me. It almost sounds as if it means "ten, selected from a group of five" -- it reminds me of the Star Trek character called "Seven of Nine.")

khoff

Joined on Sun, Mar 6 2005

Denver, Colorado, USA, Earth

Senior Member (2,515)

Native speaker of American English (but not a grammar expert)

Idioms

Madhulk

#460412 Fri, 04 Jan 08 04:14 PM

Thanks guys, you're so cool!
I was just wondering since that has been one of the differences between US & British English, then is there another way for saying 17:10 (10 past 5)? I mean like the thing with 10 of 5...

P. S. By the way, I heard that (10 of 5) from Goal 2: Living the Dream.

Madhulk

British English

nona the brit

#460423 Fri, 04 Jan 08 05:03 PM

But ...

I don't believe they say '50 past 16' anywhere in the world. Besides the point that '50' is in the 'to' half of the clock, 'to' 'from' or 'of' are not used at all with the 24 hour clock system anyway, only with the traditional one.

nona the brit

Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004

England

Veteran Member (11,293)

The name says it all.

khoff

#460444 Fri, 04 Jan 08 06:19 PM

Nona's right -- "50 past 16" is not used. If I saw it out of context, I would be more likely to think it described someone who was 66 years old than a way to refer to "ten minutes before 5 p.m."

then is there another way for saying 17:10 (10 past 5)? I mean like the thing with 10 of 5...

First, in the U.S. the 24-hour clock is almost never used in conversation -- only in the military and in transportation timetables. So what you are calling 17:10 would be "ten after five," "ten past five," or "five-ten" (which is how we would read "5:10").

khoff

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