Question: what is the difference between quarter past and quarter to?
Answer: In five minute increments, when it's past the hour (up to 30 minutes past) we say "past". When it's before the hour (after 30 minutes past) we say "to". There are 60 minutes in an hour. ... 15 minutes is quarter of an hour, we say "quarter past" or "fifteen" or "quarter to" or "forty-five".