In this lesson, we will learn how to tell time in Spanish. Telling time is an important thing to know how to do and learning how to tell time in Spanish is not a difficult task as you just need to learn some basic rules.
How to ask for What time is it in Spanish?
To ask for the time or to say What time is it?/What is the time? in Spanish, use this expression:
- ¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
"¿Qué hora es?" is equivalent to “What time is it” or “What is the time” in English. Remember to ask for the time in the singular.
How to ask “At what time” in Spanish?
¿A qué hora…? = What time do...?
Let's take a look at some examples below:
¿A qué hora nos vamos? - What time are we leaving?
¿A qué hora te levantas? - What time do you get up?
¿Cuánto tiempo te lleva/toma limpiar tu casa? - How long does it take you to clean your house?
How to tell time in Spanish?
Here we will show you some main rules that you need to know when telling, saying, or writing time in Spanish.
1. Ser = to be
This is the only verb that you need to know when telling the time. Its singular form is es la (it is) and the plural form is son las (they are).
Notes:
- “es la” is only used when the hour is one o’clock
- Use “son las” for all other hours
es la/son las + number = it’s…o’clock
Let's take a look at some examples below:
Son las dos - It's two o'clock
Es la una - It's one o'clock
Son las cinco - It's five o'clock
Son las once - It's eleven o'clock
See also: Numbers in Spanish.
2. Telling the time using hours and minutes
- Tell the first half hour
Son las + hour + y + number of minutes
For example:
Son las siete y seis - It's 7:06
Son las once y diez - It's 11:10
- Tell the second half hour
Son las + the next hour + menos + the amount of minutes remaining until the following hour
For example:
Son las once menos veinte - It's 10:40
Es la una menos veinticinco - It's 12:35
3. How to say half and quarter in Spanish?
If you want to indicate that it’s the half hour, then, use “media” (half) instead of “treinta” which means “thirty” in Spanish.
Son las + hour + y media
For example:
Son las tres y media – It’s 3:30
“Cuarto” is used to say “a quarter” instead of “quince” (fifteen).
Son las + the next hour + menos cuarto
For example:
Son las tres menos cuarto - It's 2:45
Telling time in Spanish
4. How to say it’s noon or midnight in Spanish
- Es mediodía - It's noon
- Es medianoche - It's midnight
5. How to say AM or PM in Spanish?
In Spanish, “manana” is used for morning, “tarde” for afternoon, and “noche” is used for night or evening. Remember to add “de la” before these words to indicate that it’s in the morning/evening/afternoon and it’s specific time. For no specific time, use “por la” instead.
For examples:
Es la una de la mañana - It's one o'clock in the morning
Son las seis de la noche - It's six o'clock in the evening
Son las cinco de la tarde - It's five o'clock in the afternoon
6. Common words and phrases when telling the time in Spanish
- a tiempo - on time
- en punto - exactly
- tarde - late
- temprano – early
- ayer - yesterday
- anoche - last night
- mañana por la mañana - tomorrow morning
- el lunes que viene - next Monday
- la semana que viene - next week
- el año que viene - next year
See also: Days of the week and months of the year in Spanish.
For examples:
Son las cinco más o menos - It's about five o'clock.
Es la una en punto - It's exactly one o'clock.
El programa comienza a las 7 de la mañana - The show starts at 7 in the morning.
La fiesta comienza a las 10 de la noche - The party starts at 10 at night.
Mañana leeré (por) varias horas - Tomorrow I’ll read for several hours.
Watch the video below for further guide and information:
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