Time designations PM and AM in English. What do Am and Pm stand for - English time decoding Pm decoding

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. It seems like a question, but how often does it arise? For example, it is always difficult for me to immediately remember when working with English-language services how much 10.00 PM is in terms of our time (does this mean morning or evening?). And in general, where did these AM and PM come from?, who needs them and why not use only the 24-hour format?

Well, the question here is probably from the same area as the use of right-hand traffic in some countries - it’s just the way it is and nothing can be done about it. We just need to deal with these a.m. once and for all. and p.m. (get into your head the relationship with the 24-hour ruler), or, at worst, write yourself a cheat sheet (if, like me, nothing sticks in my head for a particularly long time). Where should I write? Yes, right here, that is. on the pages of your blog. I'll do so...

Are we really that far from the 12 hour clock?

The time format using AM and PM is widespread not only in the bourgeoisie; sometimes its echoes can be observed in the RuNet space (mainly in localized bourgeois projects). For example, well-known to many bloggers, he suggests choosing the time for sending letters to subscribers based on the 12-hour format, rather than the 24-hour one:

It seems that the time zone indicates that here a.m. and p.m. do not understand, and the interface is translated into Russian. But no, habit is second nature. How should I understand 11:00 am - 1:00 pm? Is it from eleven in the morning to one in the afternoon or from eleven in the evening until one in the morning? You need to google, and so on every time, to know for sure...

Although, I probably shouldn’t have attacked the bourgeoisie with their AM and PM. If you think about it, then You and I also half live in a 12-hour world. For example, when they ask you the time, you don’t answer that it’s fifteen minutes to eighteen, but say that it’s fifteen minutes to six, and a person can determine whether it’s evening or morning. In this regard, we are the same.

At the same time, in Russian-language texts in most cases (and always) a 24-hour time scale is used. But our clocks are again in 12-hour format. It would probably be difficult to fit 24 hours in there and it would look overloaded.

But our digital watches, again, are 24-hour, but the Americans, judging by the films, are 12-hour with an indication of a.m. and p.m.

Oh, how everything in life is mixed up, if you think about it.

Decoding and nuances of using A.M. and P.M.

But this is all verbiage, and what do AM and PM mean?(how these abbreviations stand for). It turns out that these abbreviations are Latin and literally mean the following:

1. AM - before noon
2. PM - after noon (by the way, this is easier to remember, because the first letters in the Russian and Latin names are the same)

This can be illustrated quite well with these two pointer chronometers:

Then PM is evening, and AM is morning. Everything seems simple, but there is a small problem. Everything is fine until it comes to it until noon or midnight, i.e. rendezvous places for cycles a.m. and p.m.

In general, it turns out that in different countries who accept a 12-hour cycle, these moments can be celebrated in different ways ( and 12 p.m., and 12 a.m.). Thus, there can be discrepancies (such as “the glass is half full or it is half empty”). For me, it would be more logical to use not 12 p.m., but 0 p.m., which would be much more logical, but the bourgeoisie know better. The end result is this, in my opinion, nonsense:

After 12 a.m. it's 01a.m. etc. And after 12 p.m. it's 01p.m. I personally find it difficult to get used to (how can one come after 12?). Americans generally mark midnight in documents as 11:59 p.m., and noon as 12:01 a.m., so that legal incidents and discrepancies do not arise. They're kind of strange...

Conversion table from AM and PM to 24 hour format

Well, the complete table of correspondence between the 12 and 24 hour time format will then look like this:

Good luck to you! See you soon on the pages of the blog site

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IN English language often the numbers indicating the time are followed by the mysterious letters am or pm. What is the meaning of these abbreviations and how are they deciphered?

Incomprehensible letter symbols with dots “a.m” and “p.m” are used when indicating European time, which is calculated in a 12-hour format, and not in the usual 24-hour format. For Americans, the day is divided into 2 halves - from 12 at night to 12 noon and is marked with the letters a.m., and the rest of the time is marked with p.m.

In other words, the abbreviation "a.m" is the time before noon: from 12 o'clock at night to 12 o'clock the next day. It stands for Ante meridiem, a Latin phrase that translates as “before noon.” The time from noon to 12 o'clock at night is designated by the abbreviation "p.m" - this is the time after 12 o'clock in the afternoon. It stands for Post meridiem, which means “after noon” in Latin.

Thus, in English, when indicating time, it is not necessary to say or write the word “o" clock after each digit. You can simply say “it is 5.” But to indicate that it is five o’clock in the evening, you need to clarify - it is 5 p.m.

National features of time notation

In America, the 24-hour time format is practically not used in everyday life; it is used mostly by technicians, police officers, military personnel, and people in professions that require precision. This designation of time is called “military time”.

In documents, Americans mark midnight as 11:59 p.m., and noon as 12:01 a.m., in order to avoid legal incidents and other discrepancies.

Europeans are already accustomed to this type of time calculation, but we are closer to our native 24-hour format, it eliminates confusion with “noons.” In the world, almost all mechanical watches (with hands) are marked according to the English system, that is, the 24-hour format. Electronic ones can show time using two systems. So, in America, for example, clocks showing am and pm are quite common.

Learning by example

Meaning of abbreviations a.m./p.m. best learned through examples. So:

• 1 a.m. means 1 am;
• 2 a.m., 3 a.m. and so on, until 8 a.m. mean 2 am, 3 am and 8 am;
• time from 9 a.m. and until 11 a.m. considered "late morning" from 9 to 11 am;
• 1 p.m. - it's 1 o'clock in the afternoon, 2 p.m. - 2 pm and so on, until 6 p.m. (six pm) and until 11 p.m. (11 p.m);

It can be expressed differently as follows:

Examples with translation

• 03:17 a.m. m - Three seventeen in the morning (three seventeen in the morning).
• 04:40 p.m. — Four forty p.m. in the afternoon (four forty days).
• If the exact time is specified, a specific hour without minutes, this hour is called + “o" clock.
• 10:00 - ten o'clock (ten hours).
• 09:00 — nine o’clock (nine hours).
• It is five fifteen AM. — It’s five fifteen in the morning.
• It's seven thirty PM. — It’s seven thirty in the evening.
• Examples of tenses in sentences
• This letter we must send out at 3 a.m. — We must send this letter at 3 am.
• Roger Brown arrived in New-Jersey at 7:44 A.M. — Roger Brown arrived in New Jersey at 7:44 am.
• Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday 8 am - 8 pm, Sundays 10 am - 7 pm. — Opening hours: Monday - Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm, on Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm.
• Tomorrow I’ll wake up at 7 am, no the latter. — Tomorrow I will wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning, not earlier.
• Their flight to Boston would leave Glasgow at 7:10 a.m. Friday. — Their flight to Boston will leave Glasgow at 7:10 am on Friday.
• Today I’m going to work up to 9 p.m. — Today I’m going to work until 9 pm.
• My wife usually wakes up at 5 a.m. — My wife usually wakes up at 5 am.
• We estimate him here by 11:25 p.m. — We estimate that he will be here before 11.25 pm.
• Open today: 7:00 am – 10:00 pm. — Opening hours today: from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.

Conversion table from AM and PM to 24 hour format

24 hour format	12 hour format	In colloquial speech
00:00 (midnight)	12:00 a.m. (midnight)	Twelve at night
01:00	1:00 a.m.	One o'clock in the morning
02:00	2:00 a.m.	Two nights
03:00	3:00 a.m.	Three nights
04:00	4:00 a.m.	Four nights
05:00	5:00 a.m.	Five in the morning
06:00	6:00 a.m.	Six in the morning
07:00	7:00 a.m.	Seven in the morning
08:00	8:00 a.m.	Eight in the morning
09:00	9:00 a.m.	Nine in the morning
10:00	10:00 a.m.	Ten in the morning
11:00	11:00 a.m.	Eleven in the morning
12:00 (noon)	12:00 p.m. (noon)	Twelve days
13:00	1:00 p.m.	One o'clock
14:00	2:00 p.m.	Two days
15:00	3:00 p.m.	Three days
16:00	4:00 p.m.	Four days
17:00	5:00 p.m.	Five days
18:00	6:00 p.m.	Six p.m.
19:00	7:00 p.m.	Seven pm
20:00	8:00 p.m.	Eight pm
21:00	9:00 p.m. m	Nine pm
22:00	10:00 p.m.	Ten pm
23:00	11:00 p.m.	Eleven pm

When we talk about time in English, we use abbreviations such as AM and PM. What do they mean and what is the difference between them? In this article we will look at their use.

A.M.

Pronunciation and translation:

A.m. / [ee em] - before noon

Meaning of the word:
Time after midnight and before noon

Use:
Reduction a.m.(from the Latin ante meridiem, "before noon") - this interval begins at 12 o'clock at night (midnight) and ends at 12 o'clock in the afternoon (noon). That is, it lasts With 00:00 to 12:00. For example: I woke up at 8 am.

By the way, midnight is usually designated as 12 a.m. , this is like the beginning of a period of time a.m.

Example:

It's two a.m.
Two o'clock in the morning. (2:00)

It's ten a.m.
Ten in the morning. (10:00)

P.M.

Pronunciation and translation:

P.m. / [pi em] - afternoon

Meaning of the word:
Time from noon to midnight

Use:
Reduction p.m.(from the Latin post meridiem "after noon") - this interval begins at 12 noon (noon) and ends at 12 midnight (midnight). That is, it lasts from 12:00 to 00:00. For example: We finished at 10 pm.

By the way, noon is the beginning of the p.m. interval. It is customary to denote 12 p.m.

Example:

It's ten p.m.
Ten pm. (22:00)

It's five p.m.
Five in the evening. (17:00)

What is the difference?

We use a.m., when we talk about the interval from 12 o'clock at night (midnight) to 12 o'clock in the afternoon (noon). That is With 00:00 to 12:00. For example: He arrived at 6 am.

We use p.m., when we talk about the interval from 12 o'clock in the afternoon (noon) to 12 o'clock at night (midnight). That is from 12:00 to 00:00. For example: We met at 9 pm.

Consolidation exercise

Insert the correct abbreviation into the following sentences. Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

1. Meeting at 10 am.
2. She fell asleep at 12 am.
3. Lunch at 2 pm.
4. It's 7 am.
5. They will arrive at 3 days.
6. We fly out at 3 am.

Everything was mixed up in the Danish kingdom. The prince stared at the Apple Watch display: 17:30 a.m. - what could this mean? Is it morning or evening?

When should you go on a date with Ophelia, so as not to stand around for half a day, getting wet through and through in the London fog and rain?

For our people, this can only happen with a deep hangover, but for civilized Europeans, such uncertainty arises over time for reasons of “objective control” - because in some countries a 24-hour day system is adopted, and in other countries - a twelve-hour system.

Why are there 12 and 24 hour time formats?

Unfortunately, historical science is not strict; on the contrary, the authors often allow free interpretations of artifacts.

As a precaution, the 12-hour time format could be due to the fact that it is difficult to fit more than twelve digits on the small dial of a pocket or mechanical wristwatch and it would be inconvenient to view the too small 24th numbers.

And since in the Middle Ages glasses were an expensive pleasure and available only to very rich people, watchmakers made a smart marketing decision to limit themselves to only 12 hours on the dial.

The reasons are purely mercantile - few people wanted to buy a watch with an illegible 24-hour dial.

The 24-hour time format as a phenomenon arose simultaneously with the introduction of the metric system of measures. Presumably, to spite the arrogant Anglo-Saxons, along with pounds and yards, it was decided to replace the 12-hour time scheme.

By the way, it turned out to be much more convenient in all respects. In particular, in military culture, a 24-hour system has been adopted in all countries. The reason for this was the unpleasant incident at Waterloo, when the French came to use a metric 24-hour dial, and the British, committed to strict traditions, used a 12-hour dial.

As a result, the French, who did not get enough sleep after yesterday, lost miserably with a clean score and the great Napoleon realized that he was not so great after all.

Transcript A.M. and P.M.

As you may have guessed, the 12-hour clock is common in the countries of the British Commonwealth and Japan, the USA and the Philippines (as in the former American colony), and the 24-hour clock is common in the rest of the civilized world.

However, the English-language interpretation of the letter designations will be a deep misconception.

• a.m. – at morning
• p.m. – past morning

In fact, these letters are written in Latin and mean something completely different.

• ante meridiem - before noon
• post meridiem - after noon

As a result, everything turned out to be very simple.

• a.m. – denotes the time period from midnight to noon.
• p.m. – time from noon to midnight.

For example, 10:00 p.m. – it’s 10 pm for us. 10:00 a.m. - It's ten o'clock in the morning.

Time conversion table

For readers with a pedantic mindset that does not allow the slightest inaccuracy, for all those who are afraid of being late for work by at least 30 seconds, we present an accurate summary table for converting time from a twelve-hour format to a twenty-four-hour format, and at the same time to an everyday, everyday format.

Freelancers who don’t watch the clock don’t need to read any further - go earn your money on the Internet.

24 hour format	12 hour format	In oral speech
12:00 (noon)	12:00 p.m. (noon)	Twelve (o'clock) afternoon
13:00	1:00 p.m.	Hour of day/pm (obsolete)
14:00	2:00 p.m.	Two (hours) days
15:00	3:00 p.m.	Three PM
16:00	4:00 p.m.	Four (hours) days
17:00	5:00 p.m.	Five (o'clock) afternoon
18:00	6:00 p.m.	Six o'clock pm
19:00	7:00 p.m.	Seven p.m
20:00	8:00 p.m.	Eight (o'clock) p.m.
21:00	9:00 p.m.	Nine p.m
22:00	10:00 p.m.	Ten o'clock
23:00	11:00 p.m.	Eleven (o'clock) pm
00:00 (midnight)	12:00 a.m. (midnight)	Twelve o'clock at night (midnight)

You noticed? Above is only the daytime part of the table - because respectable people work during the day, therefore, there is no need to overload the gray matter with unnecessary knowledge about the darkness of the night, intended for robbers (according to the film “Aladdin”).

Although, of course, in some cases the table will be useful for freelancers.

For example, when an advanced digital worker finds a customer in an English-speaking country and intends to earn money in dollars.

Here, time accuracy is extremely important - when you are paid $100 per hour, it is extremely undesirable to be late with the delivery of finished projects. You won't be spoiled with American clients. Anything - they immediately punish you with fines, hit you with dollars, damned capitalists.))

Therefore, especially for freelancers, who, as you know, sleep during the day and prefer to work on projects in the silence of the night (because the Internet is unlimited), the second half of the time conversion table is presented below.

Translation in the sense of conversion, not waste.

24 hour format	12 hour format	In oral speech
00:00 (midnight)	12:00 a.m. (midnight)	Twelve (o'clock) midnight
01:00	1:00 a.m.	One o'clock in the morning
02:00	2:00 a.m.	Two (o'clock) in the morning
03:00	3:00 a.m.	Three (o'clock) in the morning
04:00	4:00 a.m.	Four (o'clock) in the morning
05:00	5:00 a.m.	Five o'clock in the morning
06:00	6:00 a.m.	Six (o'clock) morning
07:00	7:00 a.m.	Seven o'clock in the morning
08:00	8:00 a.m.	Eight (o'clock) in the morning
09:00	9:00 a.m.	Nine (o'clock) in the morning
10:00	10:00 a.m.	Ten (o'clock) morning
11:00	11:00 a.m.	Eleven (o'clock) morning

As you can see, ambiguities arise already at the level of verbal interpretation of tenses)).

Problematic issues of the 12-hour time grid

As mentioned above, the 12-hour time standard creates some linguistic misunderstandings and discrepancies.

12 a.m. and 12 p.m. – is this the same time or not?

From the point of view of the Latin translation, there is no certainty in this matter.

Until what midnight exactly? After what afternoon? Today's or tomorrow's?

Such discrepancies can play a cruel joke in serious matters, for example, when dividing an inheritance or calculating salaries.

Therefore, in countries with a twelve-hour standard, in particular in the United States, midnight as the end of the day in legal documents and commercial contracts is usually designated as 11:59 p.m., and midnight as the beginning of the next day - 12:01 a.m.

This is such a strange casuistry.