Clocktime: doubt

Five past six is the most common way of expressing it in my opinion. I have seen your first suggestion in usage, mainly in radio communication, but I haven't seen anywhere your second one.

ZeroxFive past six is the most common way of expressing it in my opinion. I have seen your first suggestion in usage, mainly in radio communication, but I haven't seen anywhere your second one.

Sorry, I didn't write it, but I meant "informal ways of expressing the time"(announcing, above all) .

We learn both, but I don't know how to read it info

When you are telling the time you normally say 'five past six' 'ten past seven' etc. This is appropriate for all informal and everyday use. If someone asks you the time, for example, or you want to tell someone what time you'll be arriving, this is how you say it.

In very formal contexts only you would say 'five oh six' or 'seven ten'.

In my experience, the "X past Y" usage is not nearly as common in the U.S. as it appears to be elsewhere. American usage tends to be "after," but we don't seem as averse to just saying the digits.

But if someone asked me what time it is, and the clock said 7:05, I'd be quite likely to say "seven oh five." Informally, I'd probably actually say "A little after seven," or "five after seven.

Sorry, I forgot that it would be different in US English. So, OP, take your pick!

To be honest, I think that in reality people rarely say the hour at all if you are just telling someone the time. You assume that they do know at least which hour it is...so you just say 'five past' or 'twenty to' without bothering to say the hour.

The fact is that I was asked about the matter, and I had no idea of the right answer.

Now it' s clear. :-)

Thanks to everybody for you help