So the small hand or the shorter line points to the number in front. example ould be 9:23 where the 9 is the small hand pointed in between 9 and 10 and the longer hand is for what time it is in between 9 and 10 for example. The 23 in 9:23 shows that it is 23 minutes past 9. Every number from 1 to 12 is 5 minutes which equals 60 minutes. it would be in between the 4 and 5 the big hand to show it is 9:23. This is a bit confusing i bet if you read it so if you have a direct question just leave a comment so I can help you.