Telling the Time in Spanish

Telling the time in Spanish

In this lesson, you will learn how to ask what time it is and how to give common clock times in Spanish. The main patterns use ¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?, Es la una. — It is one o’clock., and Son las… — It is… for most other hours.

Asking what time it is

The standard question is:

¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?

Use this question when you want the current clock time.

Saying one o’clock

Use Es la una. — It is one o’clock. for 1:00.

• Es la una. — It is one o’clock.
• Es la una en punto. — It is exactly one o’clock.

Spanish uses the singular form es with la una because the hour is singular.

Saying the other whole hours

For two o’clock and later, use Son las… — It is… followed by the number.

• Son las dos. — It is two o’clock.
• Son las tres. — It is three o’clock.
• Son las cuatro. — It is four o’clock.
• Son las cinco. — It is five o’clock.
• Son las seis. — It is six o’clock.
• Son las siete. — It is seven o’clock.
• Son las ocho. — It is eight o’clock.
• Son las nueve. — It is nine o’clock.
• Son las diez. — It is ten o’clock.
• Son las once. — It is eleven o’clock.
• Son las doce. — It is twelve o’clock.

Use son because these hours are treated as plural.

Using en punto for an exact hour

Add en punto — exactly / on the dot when you want to emphasize that there are no extra minutes.

• Son las dos en punto. — It is exactly two o’clock.
• Son las seis en punto. — It is exactly six o’clock.
• Son las diez en punto. — It is exactly ten o’clock.

Adding minutes with y

For times after the hour, use the hour + y + the number of minutes.

• Son las dos y cinco. — It is 2:05.
• Son las tres y diez. — It is 3:10.
• Son las cuatro y veinte. — It is 4:20.
• Son las cinco y veinticinco. — It is 5:25.

The connector y — and links the hour and the minutes.

Saying half past the hour

Use y media — half past for thirty minutes after the hour.

• Es la una y media. — It is 1:30.
• Son las tres y media. — It is 3:30.
• Son las ocho y media. — It is 8:30.

Media means “half” in this time expression.

Saying quarter past the hour

Use y cuarto — quarter past for fifteen minutes after the hour.

• Es la una y cuarto. — It is 1:15.
• Son las cuatro y cuarto. — It is 4:15.
• Son las nueve y cuarto. — It is 9:15.

Saying minutes before the next hour with menos

For many times in the second half of the hour, Spanish can count backward from the next hour with menos — minus / to.

• Son las seis menos diez. — It is 5:50.
• Son las ocho menos veinte. — It is 7:40.
• Son las diez menos cinco. — It is 9:55.

The hour after menos is the hour you are approaching.

Saying quarter to the hour

Use menos cuarto — quarter to for fifteen minutes before the next hour.

• Son las cinco menos cuarto. — It is 4:45.
• Son las siete menos cuarto. — It is 6:45.
• Son las doce menos cuarto. — It is 11:45.

Comparing y cuarto and menos cuarto

These two expressions describe different sides of the hour.

• Son las cuatro y cuarto. — It is 4:15.
• Son las cinco menos cuarto. — It is 4:45.

Y cuarto means fifteen minutes after an hour. Menos cuarto means fifteen minutes before the next hour.

Keeping one o’clock singular

The singular pattern remains important when minutes are added to one o’clock.

• Es la una y cinco. — It is 1:05.
• Es la una y cuarto. — It is 1:15.
• Es la una y media. — It is 1:30.

Do not change Es la una. — It is one o’clock. to a plural verb just because minutes follow.

Asking and answering in a short exchange

Person A: ¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?

Person B: Son las tres y media. — It is 3:30.

Person A: ¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?

Person B: Son las nueve menos cuarto. — It is 8:45.

Person A: ¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?

Person B: Es la una en punto. — It is exactly one o’clock.

Using time with familiar daily activities

You can now combine a clock time with familiar routine language.

• Trabajo a las ocho. — I work at eight o’clock.
• Estudio a las seis y media. — I study at 6:30.
• Como a la una. — I eat at one o’clock.

Use a las before most clock times and a la before one o’clock.

Asking what time an activity happens

A useful question is ¿A qué hora…? — At what time…?

For now, treat it as a practical question frame with familiar verbs.

• ¿A qué hora trabajas? — What time do you work?
• ¿A qué hora estudias? — What time do you study?
• ¿A qué hora comes? — What time do you eat?

You can answer with a + the clock time.

Person A: ¿A qué hora trabajas? — What time do you work?

Person B: A las ocho. — At eight o’clock.

Person A: ¿A qué hora comes? — What time do you eat?

Person B: A la una. — At one o’clock.

A simple time-reading method

When you see or hear a clock time, use this sequence:

1. Identify the hour.
2. Use Es la una for one o’clock or Son las for the other hours.
3. Add y for minutes after the hour when appropriate.
4. Use y media for :30 and y cuarto for :15.
5. Use menos to count backward from the next hour when appropriate.

From telling the time to Spanish C, Qu, and Z

You can now ask and tell common clock times in Spanish, including exact hours, minutes after the hour, half past, quarter past, and quarter to. The next lesson shifts to pronunciation and helps you recognize common sound patterns with Spanish c, qu, and z.