Match analogue and digital
An analogue clock showing quarter past 3 matches the digital time 3:15.
quarter past 3
The minute hand shows the minutes and the hour hand shows the hour.
Year 4
Read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 12-hour clocks
Match analogue clock times to digital 12-hour times and write the same time in different forms.
Lesson overview
Time
An analogue clock and a digital 12-hour clock can show the same time in different ways. Reading the minute hand first and then the hour hand helps match the two forms correctly.
Half past
When the minute hand is at 6, the time is half past the hour.
7:30
Half past means 30 minutes after the hour.
Quarter to
Quarter to 5 is the same as 4:45.
Quarter to means 15 minutes before the next hour.
Worked example
Write the digital 12-hour time for an analogue clock showing quarter to 6.
quarter to 6
- Quarter to means 15 minutes before the next hour.
- The next hour is 6, so the current hour is 5.
- 15 minutes before 6 o'clock is 5:45.
- So the digital time is 5:45.
Round 1: Learn it
Read the minute hand first, then match the hour and the digital time carefully.
Finish this round to unlock Round 2: Show you know it.
Question 1
What digital time matches quarter past 4?
quarter past 4
Question 2
What words match 7:30?
7:30
Question 3
What digital time matches quarter to 9?
Question 4
Write the digital time for half past 5.
half past 5
Question 5
Which statement is correct?
Common mistakes
Watch for these as you work through the lesson.
- Reading the next hour instead of the current hour for past times.
- Mixing up quarter past and quarter to.
- Ignoring the minute hand and using the hour hand only.
Related topics
These ideas connect closely to this lesson.
- Read, write and convert time between analogue and digital 24-hour clocks.
- Solve problems involving converting from hours to minutes; minutes to seconds; years to months; weeks to days.