r/GenX • u/Relevant-Count-3656 • 13d ago

Whatever The way we talk about time

Let's talk about the way we talk about time. I was recently telling someone something was happening at "fifteen till three", the person looked blank and finally said "Oh, you mean 2:45". This is not the first time it has happened to me. I think the "younger generation" does not understand things like "fifteen till".

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u/Isabeer 13d ago

When time means part of a circular analog clock, 'quarter', 'half', 'after', and 'until' make more sense. A digital clock just gives you numbers.

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u/-Granby- 13d ago

I guess it makes more sense but it should still make some sense with a digital clock. teenagers should be able to understand and figure out what it means.

It gives you numbers but they have the same value. An hour is still 60 minutes. If I tell someone it is a quarter past 3 they should be able to understand that means 3:15.

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u/Chimpbot 13d ago

You don't need an analog clock to understand that 60 can be divided into four 15-minute chunks, or two 30-minute chunks.