Saying When with A, En, El, Los, and De…A
Saying When with A, En, El, Los, and De…A
In this lesson, you will learn several common Spanish time expressions with a, en, el, los, and de...a. These small words help you say when something happens.
Using a with clock times
Use a before a clock time.
- — I work at eight.
- — I study at nine.
- — The class is at ten.
Using el with one specific weekday
- — I work on Monday.
- — I study Spanish on Tuesday.
- — I go to the park on Saturday.
Using los with repeated weekdays
- — I work on Mondays.
- — I study on Tuesdays.
- — I do not work on Sundays.
Using en with months and seasons
- — In January it is cold.
- — In July it is hot.
- — In summer I go to the park.
- — In winter I study at home.
Using de...a for a time range
Use de...a to express from one time to another.
- — I work from eight to five.
- — I study from nine to eleven.
- — The class is from two to four.
Combining day and time
- — On Monday I work at eight.
- — On Tuesday I study at nine.
- — On Friday I go to the restaurant at seven.
Combining repeated days and time
- — On Mondays I work at eight.
- — On Wednesdays I study in the afternoon.
Asking when
Use cuándo — when when you want to know the day or general time.
Person A: — When do you work?
Person B: — I work on Monday.
Asking at what time
Use ¿A qué hora...? — At what time...?
Person A: — What time do you work?
Person B: — I work at eight.
Asking about a range
Person A: — From what time to what time do you work?
Person B: — I work from eight to five.
A short schedule
— On Mondays I work from eight to five. On Tuesday I study Spanish at seven. In summer I work less.
A practical time-expression method
- Use a with clock times.
- Use el with one specific weekday.
- Use los with repeated weekdays.
- Use en with months and seasons.
- Use de...a for a time range.
From Time Expressions to Question Intonation
You can now say when something happens using a, en, el, los, and de...a. The next lesson focuses on Spanish question intonation in short exchanges.
Spanish phrases
A las ocho trabajo.
I work at eight.
La clase es a las diez.
The class is at ten.
El lunes trabajo.
I work on Monday.
Los lunes trabajo.
I work on Mondays.
En enero hace frío.
In January it is cold.
En verano voy al parque.
In summer I go to the park.
Trabajo de ocho a cinco.
I work from eight to five.
Estudio de nueve a once.
I study from nine to eleven.
La clase es de dos a cuatro.
The class is from two to four.
El martes estudio a las nueve.
On Tuesday I study at nine.
El viernes voy al restaurante a las siete.
On Friday I go to the restaurant at seven.
Los miércoles estudio por la tarde.
On Wednesdays I study in the afternoon.
¿Cuándo trabajas?
When do you work?
Trabajo el lunes.
I work on Monday.
¿A qué hora trabajas?
What time do you work?
¿De qué hora a qué hora trabajas?
From what time to what time do you work?