pm

Everyday

1. «pm» (from Latin post meridiem, "after midday") means the hours after 12 noon and before midnight: 3 pm is in the afternoon. tree →
2. «PM» (UK, Australia, Canada, etc.) stands for Prime Minister, the leader of the government. tree →
3. (informal, online) «PM» means a private message: "PM me". tree →

In the lessons

In school maths, time problems use am and pm: from 10 am to 2 pm is 4 hours — you count across noon. 12 pm is noon (midday) and 12 am is midnight, which confuses many people. The 24-hour clock writes 3 pm as 15:00 — add 12 to the pm hour. In news, the PM gives speeches. Online, people send PMs. Phrases: «at 3 pm», «the PM», «send a PM».

Examples

• School finishes at 3 pm. tree →
• The film starts at 7:30 pm. tree →
• From 11 am to 2 pm is 3 hours. tree →
• 4 pm on the 24-hour clock is 16:00. tree →
• The PM visited our town today. tree →
• Lunch is at 12 pm, which means noon. tree →
• Can you PM me the homework? tree →
• The shop is open 9 am – 5 pm. tree →

Note

Written pm, p.m. or PM; lower case for time is common in the UK and Australia, «p.m.» in the US. Do not write «3 pm in the afternoon» (it repeats itself). Trap: 12 pm = noon, 12 am = midnight. For durations crossing noon, count to 12 then add the pm hours. To change pm to 24-hour time, add 12 (except 12 pm).