half-past
half-past — idiom
1. the way to say the time on a clock when the minute hand has moved exactly thirty
the way to say the time on a clock when the minute hand has moved exactly thirty minutes beyond the top of the hour — for example, saying 'half past ten' tells someone it is 10:30.
The train to Brighton leaves at half past ten in the morning.
half past + hour + time-of-day modifier
Adaeze promised to meet me at half past two outside the library.
School starts at half past eight, so Jisoo leaves home at quarter past eight.
Emre booked a table for half past seven at the new restaurant on King Street.
Wait until half past three, and the shop should be open again.
Can you check whether it is half past nine yet? I have a dentist appointment.
Ravindra glanced at the clock — it was half past three, time for a coffee break.
The evening film starts at half past six, so Matthew plans to leave work early.
By half past eleven, the last guests had already gone home.
Rodrigo asked the bus driver what time it was, and she said half past two.
- half after
American English alternative ('half after seven' for 7:30) — less common than 'half past' in the UK
- half seven
British informal abbreviation ('half seven' = 7:30); common in casual speech
- thirty past
rare in everyday speech; used mainly in formal radio or TV time announcements
- o'clock
refers to an exact hour on the clock (e.g., 'four o'clock' = 4:00), not thirty minutes past it
- quarter past
fifteen minutes (not thirty) past the hour
- quarter to
fifteen minutes before the next hour
文法句型
half past + [hour]
用法筆記
Always followed by an hour number — 'half past' alone is incomplete. The hour can be any number from one to twelve. For times in the 24-hour system, use 'thirty' instead (e.g., 'fifteen thirty' for 15:30). In informal British speech, people sometimes drop 'past' and say 'half seven' (meaning 7:30), but learners should master the full 'half past [hour]' form first.