Telling time in English is like doing maths. Why "a quarter to 5" when you can simply say 4:45? Is this unique to English?

"A quarter to 5" literally contains a fraction and a subtraction. I know it is simple maths but I still find it annoying.

On the other hand, in Cantonese we like to read from the analog clock... "4 point 9" means 4:45, because the long hand of the clock points to 9.

Have you found anything peculiar telling time in the language you learn?

submitted by /u/cloudiness
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