I hear these phrases(the romanian version) much more often than an exact time

This is also how i was taught time in english

Never saw the point. It doesn't save syllables, and people unaccustomed to it get confused

My internal clock runs on a circle... So if I am guessing or saying roughly the time I will use "quarter to", "ten past", etc. If it's an exact time I will say it to the minute, 6:43 etc.

I'm not sure. Anecdotal evidence, but when I was little, we learned how to read analog clocks, and all the "half past whatever" terminology. Actually, I think most of us in my class at that time primarily used analog clocks. Even then, we never used those sorts of phrases. We would just round to the nearest 5 minutes if anyone asked.

That's still what I do nowadays. Of course, there's phones and computers now that can tell you the time, but if I want a physical clock, I prefer to get an analog one. And I still just round to the nearest 5 minutes.

In my interpretation, those phrases fell out of favor a long time ago

I don't get why, it's not like they aren't learning fractions these days right?

I still hear people talk about the top and bottom of the hour all the time.

I'm 46 and for as long as I can remember I've used "half past" and "quarter to" etc. Even during the years when I used a digital watch I transferred to do this now often than not. I'll use it with my Kuga as well and they understand and often do the same.

I think everybody puts too much emphasis on it being a strict generational thing while imo it's mostly a force of habit.

I'm on my early 20s, and used to take around 10 seconds to read an analog clock. Fully digital mind. Bought an analog wrist watch this summer and merely 1-2 months into wearing it I started understanding it instantaneously and all of "half past" type phrases click immediately now.

Dave Allen on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QVPUIRGthI

Since using AM and PM are essentially analogue standards, will people eventually stop saying "it's two o'clock" when they mean "the time is fourteen hundred"?