Americans write and say dates, times and numbers in their own way. The biggest difference: the month comes first, so 9/24/2026 is September 24, 2026. This lesson also covers a.m. and p.m., quarter after, prices, big numbers, Fahrenheit, miles, feet and phone numbers.
The pattern
I moved here on September 24, 2026.
The store opens at 9:30 a.m.
01Dates: the month comes first
Americans put the month first, then the day, then the year. On a lease, a school form or a doctor's note, 3/4 means March 4, not April 3.
We write September 24 but usually say September twenty-fourth, with first, second, third, fourth. Years are said in two pairs: 1998 is nineteen ninety-eight and 2026 is twenty twenty-six.
- My lease ends on August 31.
- Rent is due on the first of the month.
- I was born on July 4, 1999.
| Written | Said |
|---|---|
| 9/24/2026 | September twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-six |
| 3/4 | March fourth |
| July 1 | July first |
| 1998 | nineteen ninety-eight |
02Times: a.m., p.m. and quarter after
Use a.m. from midnight to noon and p.m. from noon to midnight (you can also write AM and PM). Most Americans don't use the 24-hour clock in daily life. Say times as numbers: 7:30 is seven thirty and 7:05 is seven oh five.
For fifteen minutes, say a quarter after seven (7:15) and a quarter till or a quarter to eight (7:45). 12:00 in the day is noon, and 12:00 at night is midnight.
- My shift starts at 6:00 a.m.
- The movie starts at a quarter after seven.
- Let's meet at noon.
03Money and big numbers
Use a comma to group thousands and a period for cents: $1,250.99. In speech, prices are often shortened: $4.99 is four ninety-nine and $12.50 is twelve fifty. For 1,500 you'll hear fifteen hundred and one thousand five hundred.
When a number and a noun describe another noun, the noun stays singular: a ten-dollar bill, a five-mile run.
- Our rent is $1,800 a month.
- Gas is $3.49 a gallon.
- I bought a twenty-dollar phone case.
04Temperature, distance and height
The US uses Fahrenheit. Water freezes at 32°F, 70°F feels comfortable, and 100°F is very hot. Distance is in miles (one mile is about 1.6 kilometers), weight in pounds, gas and milk in gallons, and height in feet and inches: 5'9" is five foot nine or five feet nine inches.
- It's 85 degrees, so bring sunscreen.
- The office is about ten miles from my apartment.
- My brother is six foot two.
05Phone numbers
A US phone number has an area code and seven more digits: (214) 555-0147. Say it one digit at a time in three groups, with a short pause after each group: two one four, five five five, oh one four seven. Zero is usually said oh.
06Common mistakes
My birthday is 24 September.
My birthday is September 24.
In American English, the month comes before the day.
The rent is $1.800 a month.
The rent is $1,800 a month.
Americans use a comma for thousands. A period is only for cents.
I'll call you at 8 p.m. in the evening.
I'll call you at 8 p.m.
P.m. already means afternoon or evening, so don't say it twice.
I bought a ten-dollars ticket.
I bought a ten-dollar ticket.
A number + noun used before another noun stays singular.