We use the same phrases in German, "fünf vor halb" and "zehn nach halb". It's quite useful, there's a description for every five minute offset to the hour: five/ten to/past the half hour or hour, quarter to/past the hour, and of course the infamous "half to". That's before adding in regional time formats, which mostly require reconstruction of missing words ("viertel sechs" is 5:15, "dreiviertel sechs" (three quarters six") 5:45 in my area)