In the modern world there are more than 200 countries, and each country has its own customs and traditions that shape the way of life of people and their habits. Trifles in culture, it would seem, should not affect the understanding of a person at all, but this is not so. We do not notice insignificant things, although they are fraught with many interesting and unusual things. Small things like this include differences in time formats.
In this article we will figure out what time formats exist, what is their difference? Why is it not possible to introduce common time in the world? How to understand the designations of different formats? What is the meaning of time in English?
Time formats
We live in a country that uses 24 hours of the day to indicate time. This format is called 24-hour. But there are also countries that use only 12 hours a day. On the dial, only 12 hours are used.
What's also interesting is that most people who live by the 24-hour clock tend to use only 12 hours more often. For example, we do not say “I will be at 19”, but “I will be at 7” or “I will be at 7 pm.”
Where did two come fromformat? It is clear that 24 hours is the length of the day. But why 12 hours and not 4 or 6? The format, when the day is divided into two parts of 12 hours, came from the Ancient World. In Mesopotamia, Rome and Ancient Egypt, a sundial was used during the day and a water clock at night. Some countries did not change the knowledge gained by their ancestors, but left the 12-hour format.
As for the USA, 2 formats are appropriate there. The most commonly used is 12 hours, but if you say, for example, "20 hours", you will probably not be understood, since 24 hours is the military format.
Designation of time in English
Which countries use 12 and 24 hour format? In English-speaking countries, the 12-hour format is most often used, so abbreviations were originally invented. The designation of time in English is pm (from the Latin Post meridiem - "afternoon") and am (from the Latin Ante meridiem - "before noon"). And if the Americans somehow understand you, then another English-speaking world will prove that there is no more than 12 hours. A.m. consumed from 12 noon to 12 noon, and for p.m. it's the other way around. For example, if you want to say 15:00, it would be 3pm and 1am would be 1am. The designation of time in English is just that.
It is quite difficult to memorize these designations without constant repetition. Do you want to know how easy and simple it is to save them in memory? All you have to do is set your phone, tablet or computer (whichever you use most) to twelve hour clock. It usually takes a couple of days to get used to it. Most people,switched to the 12-hour-a-day format, and this is how it is used.
What about the time in English on the clock? Like ours, the dial also has 12 hours. But there is a difference in electronic media. All electrical devices use twelve hours, but we all use 24.
Which countries use 12 and 24 hour format?
As mentioned above, the world is conditionally divided into countries that use twenty-four hours to indicate time, and countries where the 12-hour format.
Countries with 24-hour format include most of the world, for example, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Japan. In Australia, New Zealand and the United States (that is, countries where the time is in English) use 12 hours in a day. This is evidenced by the fact that English speakers are not comfortable saying, say, "16 o'clock".
There are also countries where both options are acceptable. These are Greece, Brazil, France, UK, Albania and Turkey.
What about Canada? As you know, Canada has two official languages - English and French. The country is divided according to the linguistic criterion into areas - provinces where French is spoken, and territories with a predominant English language. All of Canada uses the 12-hour format because it was a British colony for a long time, but in Quebec, people are more likely to use the 24-hour format.
Conclusion
So, we figured out that there are two time formats - 12 and24 hour. Often in English they use 12 hours, for which special abbreviations were invented. The designation of time in English occurs with the help of four letters - am (before noon) and pm (after noon). To better remember where, what and when to use, you need to set the twelve-hour time format on your phone, tablet or computer. If you want to go to a country where this format is used, for example, to the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, you should prepare in advance to avoid misunderstandings.
