Answer:
at 5:45, we say it's “quarter to six” (or 15 minutes before 6:00). At minute 30, we say it's “half past”.
The word “quarter” means one-fourth. When we say, “A quarter past 6,” we mean one-fourth of an hour past 6 o'clock, or 15 minutes past 6. When we say, “A quarter till 6,” we mean one-fourth of an hour till 6 o'clock, or 15 minutes till 6.
