Back to Glossary
Half Past
Half past (or half hour) means 30 minutes after the hour, shown on an analog clock when the minute hand points to 6.
When the minute hand points to 6, 30 minutes have passed since the last hour — this is called 'half past' because 30 minutes is half of the 60 minutes in an hour. For example, 'half past 3' means 3:30. Children usually learn half-past times after mastering o'clock. It introduces the concept that the minute hand's position has meaning. I Can Tell Time teaches half-past as the second skill level after o'clock, using visual cues to show the clock face divided in half.