Knowing how to talk about opening hours, dates, and time expressions is essential when planning a visit to a shopping mall. These skills allow you to check store schedules, understand event announcements, and make sure you arrive on time. Let's break down the vocabulary and grammar you need to feel confident planning your next in-person shopping trip.
How do you talk about opening and closing hours?
When you want to visit a store or a shopping mall, the first thing to do is check the opening hours [0:42]. This refers to the time when the store is open for customers to shop around. You can find this information on the store's website, social media, or even by calling directly.
It's especially important to verify schedules during holidays, since some stores — or even entire malls — may be closed [1:06]. Two key terms to remember:
- Opening time: the time the store opens.
- Closing time: the time the store closes.
Here is a practical example: "We're open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 in the morning to 8 o'clock at night" [1:20].
What are the different ways to tell time in English?
There are several ways to express the same time, and knowing them helps you understand schedules in any format [1:30]:
- 9:30 can be said as "nine thirty," "half past nine," or "9:30 A.M."
- 8:00 can be expressed as "eight o'clock," "8 sharp," or "8:00 P.M."
- 12:00 can be called "noon," "midday," or "12 o'clock in the afternoon."
Other useful expressions include quarter to (15 minutes before the hour) and phrases like "5 after 8" (five minutes past eight).
Which prepositions go with time expressions?
Prepositions are critical when talking about schedules and events. Pay attention to these rules [2:07]:
- Use at before a specific time: "at 7 o'clock," "at 5:00 P.M."
- Use on before a day, date, or holiday: "on Sundays," "on Thanksgiving, November 23rd," "on February 14th" [2:28].
- Use from...to to indicate a range: "from noon to 4:00 P.M.," "from June 21st to June 23rd" [3:24].
How do you announce upcoming events in English?
When talking about future events, you can use this + time expression to refer to something happening soon [2:50]. For example:
- "This Wednesday, guests are invited to bring their furry friends to the mall."
- "Join us at Avenue Mall this summer."
Notice how this signals proximity in time — it means the coming Wednesday or the upcoming summer, not any Wednesday or summer in general.
How can you practice reading store schedules?
Let's review a few practical scenarios that appeared during the lesson [3:50]:
- A store shows a closing time of half past 8. If the current time is 8 o'clock sharp, you still have 30 minutes before it closes. That means you can make it on time — but you'd better hurry.
- An event poster shows the date July 28th with a start time of midday [4:55]. The correct way to express this: "The event is on July 28th at midday."
These exercises reinforce how to combine prepositions, time expressions, and date formats into natural-sounding sentences.
Now it's your turn to practice. What time does your favorite store open and close? Which day of the week do you prefer going shopping, and why? Share your answers in the comments — using the time expressions you just learned.
