how do you say homework time in spanish

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Asking and Telling Time in Spanish: rules, examples & quiz

Asking and telling time in Spanish may very useful in everyday conversations. This lesson will teach you the rules behind the most important questions to ask time in Spanish and the sentence structure to tell time in Spanish properly. We will also cover some expressions that are often used when telling time in Spanish. Hopefully, you will find the audio examples and explanations in this lesson very useful. Let’s start…

The sentence structure for telling time in Spanish – Diciendo la hora

In order to tell time in Spanish in the present tense, we will always use one of the two forms of the irregular verb SER (to be ): ES and SON. The form ES will only be needed for telling the time between 1:00 to 1:59, whereas SON will be used for the rest of the day. With that said, if you meant to say “It is 1:30”, then you would have to tell time using ES like this: “ Es la una y media ”. On the other hand, when telling time in Spanish after 2:00, like “It is 2:30”, you would have to use SON like this: “ Son las dos y treinta ”. Most of the time, these type of sentences will begin with the verb SER plus a definite article and then the time, for example:

For telling time in Spanish in the past tense, we have to use the past forms of both ES and SON, that is “ ERA ” and “ ERAN ”, for example: “ Era la una y cuarenta ” (It was 1:40) and “Eran las 7 de la noche”. For talking about future time , we tend to use the phrase “Va(n) a ser + time in Spanish” (It is going to be…) this way: “ V a a ser la 1:30” or “ Van a ser las doce” .

Common Questions for asking time in Spanish – ¿Qué hora es?

The most common and easiest way for asking time in Spanish is “ ¿Qué hora es? ” This question means “What time is it?” in Spanish, but it is not a literal translation as we use the word HORA instead of TIEMPO. We may ask differently depending on the formality of the conversation. A more formal way for asking time in Spanish would be by adding the expression DISCULPE or DISCULPA as in “ Disculpe, ¿Qué hora es? “. This way, ff you need to ask time in Spanish, especially to a stranger, it is better to use a polite question like Disculpe ¿me puede decir la hora? or Disculpe ¿qué hora es?

Other ways for asking time in Spanish include “¿Qué tiempo/hora tienes?” (informal) and ¿Me puede decir la hora? (Can you tell me the time?). In the examples below, you will notice that the answers will use the verb SER as “ES” and “SON” to tell time. One of the examples shows that for time expressions like “It’s 10 to 12”, we must use the verb “FALTAR” (to lack) instead of “SER”. With that said, the correct sentence would be “Faltan 10 para las 12” instead of “Son las 10 para 12” (wrong literal translation). Pay attention to these examples and listen to their pronunciation:

How to ask “At what time” in Spanish

In order to ask “at what time” in Spanish, we should modify the question “ ¿Qué hora es? ” a little bit by adding the preposition “A” at the beginning as in “ ¿A qué hora…? ” (What time do…). This way, you can ask things like: ¿A qué hora nos vamos? (what time are we leaving?) and ¿A qué hora te levantas? (What time do you get up?). The answer may be the estimated or exact time in Spanish, for example: “ Nos vamos en unos 30 minutos ” (We are leaving in about 30 minutes) and “ Yo me levanto a las 8 de la mañana ” (I get up at 8 o´clock).  Listen to these two examples:

Useful expressions for telling time in Spanish

Now we will talk about some very useful expressions for telling time in Spanish that always come handy in different situations.

“ UN CUARTO PARA ” (a quarter to)  – this phrase is often placed after the verb FALTAR (to lack/to be left) in the structure:

Falta/Faltan + time left + para la/las + hour e.g. Falta un cuarto para las diez (it’s a quarter to ten )

“ MEDIA ” (a half) – this will be used often following the structure above too: “ Falta media hora para la una” (It’s a half hour to 1:00) or in a more simplified way “Es la una y media”.

Remember that the definite article LA will be used for time between 1:00 and 1:59 as in “La una y cincuenta”, whereas LAS is for any other time in as in “Las tres y treinta”.

Last, you can use the expressions “ por/de la mañana “, “ por/de la tarde ” and “ por/de la noche ” to talk about a particular part of the day. Listen to some examples using these and other phrases for talking about time in Spanish.

Interactive Quiz: Time in Spanish

This is all for now. We hope you learned a couple of new expressions or questions in this lesson. Make sure to practice telling time in Spanish by yourself to your friends. If you want to continue learning about this topic and work on your listening ability, please check the next lesson on this topic, which will cover short sample conversations and listening activities about time . ¡Hasta pronto!

Related Spanish Worksheets:

• Telling Time in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Daily Activities & Time in Spanish – PDF Worksheet
• Dialogues about daily routines in Spanish – PDF Worksheet

1 Translation result for homework in Spanish

Homework noun.

Example sentences of homework noun

• • She started her English homework .

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How to Tell Time in Spanish: Formula, Rules & Examples

If you’re wondering how to tell time in Spanish, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know to be able to tell time in Spanish at a native speaker’s level. 

The topics you’ll learn are:

• Different ways to tell the time in Spanish

For 1:00-1:59 am/pm

For 2:00-12:59 am/pm.

• How to add minutes
• Half & quarter hours
• When to use ‘menos’ when telling time

Parts of the day in Spanish

• Describing time of events

Telling the Time in the Past & Future

• 24-Hour Time Format
• Asking the Time in Spanish
• Vocabulary for Telling Time Vocabulary

Key Points: Rules for Telling Time in Spanish

Different ways to tell time in spanish.

Below, you’ll find different ways to tell time in Spanish. All of these options express the same time (1:45). 

• Es la una y cuarenta y cinco
• Es la una con cuarenta y cinco minutos
• Es la una cuarenta y cinco
• Son las dos menos quince
• Faltan quince a las dos
• Son quince a/para las dos
• Es cuarto para las dos

You’ll learn all 7 of these ways and the nuances in the following sections.

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Formula for Telling Time in Spanish

To tell time in Spanish, you must use the following elements:

• plural (‘ son ’) for hours from 2 to 12 
• the 3rd person singular (‘ es ’) for 1:00 am/pm.
• Las for hours from 2 to 12 
• La only for 1:00 am/pm.
• Numbers to indicate the hours and minutes. 
• The word ‘y’  to add minutes (optional). 
• Phrases to express the part of the day (optional). 

As mentioned above, there’s a singular and a plural formula to tell time in Spanish. The plural structure is used with all the hours except for 1:00 am/pm.

So, a simple formula to tell time in Spanish looks like this:

[Es] + [la] + una + (y) + [minutes]

Es la una y veinte.  It’s one -twenty. 

Cindy, ya es la una. ¡Vámonos! Cindy, it’s one already. Let’s go! 

[Son] + [las] + [hour] + (y) + [minutes]

Son las once y quince.  It’s eleven fifteen. 

Apenas son las ocho.  It’s just eight. 

Mamá, ya son las tres. Mom, it’s three already. 

Below, you’ll find a graphic with examples on how to tell time from 12 to 11. 

Take Note: You must always use definite articles when telling time in Spanish. In this context, la and las are replacing the Spanish feminine words hora and horas, which we use in formal situations. Check the examples below. 

Full-sentence

Son las ocho horas con cinco minutos.  It’s eight hours and five minutes.  

Short version 

Son las ocho cinco.  It’s eight-0-five. 

How to add minutes when telling time

In Spanish, we use the words ‘y’ and ‘con ’ to add minutes when telling time ( con is more formal). These words are the equivalent of saying ‘past’ or ‘after’ when telling the time in English.

Son las dos y veinte . It’s twenty after two .

Son las cuatro con treinta . It’s half past two .

So, the formula to tell time in Spanish (minutes included) looks like this: 

[‘Ser’ conjugated] + [definite article] + y/con + [minutes]

Son las dos con veinticinco. It’s two twenty-five.

¡Ya son las cuatro y cuarenta ! It’s four forty already!

Conversational Tip: The letter ‘ y ’ is usually omitted in speaking Latin American and Mexican Spanish . You can see this in the following examples. 

Son las dos y veinte . It’s two-twenty .

Son las dos veinte. It’s two-twenty.

Using ‘menos’ when telling time in Spanish

In Spanish, ‘ menos’ allows you to express the minutes remaining until the next hour. However, it can only be used for the remaining 25 minutes. So, when used to tell time, this word is close in meaning to: 

• Until / ‘till

Here is the formula and some examples of how to use ‘menos’ in Spanish:

[‘Ser’ conjugated] + [definite article] + [hour] + menos + [remaining minutes]

Ya vístanse, son las ocho menos veinte . Get dressed! It’s twenty minutes before eight .

Son las cinco menos diez , señora. It’s five minutes to ten , ma’am.

Es la una menos quince . It’s fifteen minutes till one.

Although menos is very common in this situation, you can also use the words ‘ a ’, ‘ para ’ and ‘ faltan ’ to convey the same meaning (the remaining minutes till the next hour). 

[Ser conjugated] + [remaining minutes] + a/para + [definite article] + [hour]

Sí, señorita, son diez para las nueve . Yes, miss, it’s 10 minutes before nine .

Son cinco a las siete , cerramos a las siete en punto. It’s 5 minutes before seven ; we close at seven on the dot.

Faltan + [remaining minutes] + a + [definite article] + [hour]

Faltan veinte a la una , ¿ya estás lista? It’s twenty minutes to one , are you ready?

Mandy, ¡despierta! ¡ Faltan cinco a las ocho ! Mandy, wake up! It’s five minutes till eight !

Depending on the Spanish-speaking country, some of these structures may be more common than others. For example, in Mexican Spanish prevails a, para and faltan.

Half & Quarter Hours

Media (half) and cuarto (quarter) replace the numbers treinta and quince, respectively. If you use these words to talk about the minutes past or after an hour, you necessarily must include the conjunction ‘y’ in your sentence. 

[‘Ser’ conjugated] + (y) + [media/quince]

Son las doce y media .  It’s half past twelve. 

Es la una y cuarto .  It’s a quarter past one. 

Cuarto can also be used with ‘ menos ’ and ‘ para ’ to express the remaining minutes to the next hour. Check how we can use this word to say 12:45 and 9:45 in Spanish: 

[‘Ser’ conjugated] + [definite article] + [hour] +  menos + cuarto  

Es la una menos cuarto .  It’s quarter to one. 

Son las diez menos cuarto. It’s quarter to ten. 

Es + cuarto + para + [minutes]

Es cuarto para la una .  It’s a quarter to one .

Es cuarto para las diez .  It’s a quarter to ten . 

When telling time in Spanish, it’s also very common to specify the part of the day you’re referring to. To do so, we use:

• Mañana – Morning
• Tarde –  Afternoon/Evening
• Noche –  Evening/Night  

[‘Ser’ conjugated] + la/las + de + la + [time of the day]

Aquí apenas son las siete de la mañana. It’s seven in the morning here.

Son las diez de la noche. It’s ten at night.

Su cita es a las tres de la tarde. Her appointment is at three in the afternoon.

Describing Time of an Event or Activity

In Spanish, there’s a distinction between telling time and saying the time when an activity will take place. To express the time when something is going to happen, we add the preposition ‘a’ between the verb ‘ser’ and the definite article . This is equivalent to saying that the event or activity is “ at ” a given time.

For many people telling time in different tenses is difficult. However, all you must do is conjugate ‘ser’ to the tense you need. To give you an example, in the following sections, you’ll learn how to tell time in the past and future tenses. 

Time in the Past

In Spanish, you must use the imperfect tense to tell time in the past. So, instead of using es or son, you would use ‘era’ or ‘eran’ . Aside from this change, you’ll keep using the elements that you’ve learned so far: 

[‘Ser’ in the imperfect tense] + [definite article] + [time]

Era la una cuando Sam se durmió. It was one when Sam fell asleep.

Creo que eran las seis menos veinte cuando Teddy llegó. I think it was fifteen minutes to six when Teddy arrived.

Time in the Future

To tell time in the future tense in Spanish , just change the verb ‘ser’ to ‘será’ or ‘serán ’ . 

[‘Ser’ in the future tense] + [definite article] + [time]

En unos minutos serán las dos de la tarde.  In a few minutes, it will be two pm. 

Cinco minutos más y serán las doce de la mañana.  Five more minutes and it will be twelve in the morning. 

24-Hour Time Format 

You can also use the 24-hour clock if you need to. Notice that not all of this formula’s elements apply when the time is 1:00 am. 

Son + las + [24 hour number] + horas + con + [minutes]

Es la una con treinta minutos.  It’s 0-one thirty. 

Son las veinte horas con fifteen minutos.  It’s twenty quince. 

Son las quince horas con cuarenta y cinco minutos.  It’s fifteen forty-five. 

How to Ask the Time in Spanish

Below are some common questions you can use to ask people for the time in Spanish. 

• ¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
• ¿Me puede regalar su hora? – Could you tell me what time you have?
• ¿Qué hora tiene? – What time do you have?
• ¿Tendrá la hora? – Do you have the time? 

Fanny, ¿qué hora es? Fanny, what time is it?

Señor, ¿me puede regalar su hora? Sir, could you tell me what time it is?

Disculpe, señora, ¿tendrá la hora? Excuse, ma’am, do you have the time?

Essential Vocabulary to Tell Time in Spanish

Below you’ll find some common words that you can use when telling time in Spanish.  

Son las dos y cuarto . It’s two fifteen .

Señorita, son las ocho en punto . Miss, it’s eight on the dot .

¿Qué haces despierto? ¡Es medianoche ! Why are you awake? It’s midnight ! 

Telling time in Spanish is a necessary communication skill that you must have. Here are some key rules that you need to keep in mind in this situation:

• To tell time in Spanish, we need to use the third singular and plural form of the verb ‘ser’ , feminine definite articles , and numbers . 
• ‘Es la ’ is only used when referring to 1:00 am or 1:00 pm. ‘Son las’ is the structure we use to refer to all the other hours. 
• The conjunction ‘ y’ and the preposition ‘ con ’ are used to add minutes in Spanish. You can omit these words in casual situations and conversational Spanish. 
• The articles ‘la’ and ‘las’ are replacing the word ‘ horas ’ . 
• To tell time in the past tense, you must conjugate ‘ser’ to the imperfect tense . 
• ‘Menos’ expresses the remaining minutes to the next hour. It means ‘ to ’, ‘ before ’ or ‘ until ’. 
• ‘Menos’ can only be used with ‘veinticinco’, ‘veinte’, ‘quince’, ‘diez’ or ‘cinco’. 

Daniela Sanchez

¡Hola! Soy Daniela Sanchez, I've been studying Spanish professionally as well as teaching it in Mexico and online for over 10 years. I’ve taught Spanish to a wide array of foreigners from many backgrounds. Over the years, I've made it my mission to work hard on refining many challenging to understand grammar topics to make my students' learning experiences easier, faster and more enjoyable. Read More About Me

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Telling the time in Spanish

How to tell the time in spanish.

There are different ways of telling the time (la hora) in Spanish. In day-to-day contexts, the 12-hour clock is typical, whereas the 24-hour clock is reserved for scientific contexts.

Learn how to say the time in Spanish then practise in the interactive exercises.

—¿Ya está listo el pastel?

—No, todavía tiene que hornearse 45 minutos.

—¿Y qué hora es?

—Son las tres y cuarto.

—Estupendo, entonces nos lo podemos comer a las cuatro.

—¡No! Estará muy caliente. Como pronto, podrás probar un trozo a las cuatro y cuarto.

¿Qué hora es? - What time is it?

Use ¿qué hora es? to ask for the time in Spanish:

If the hour is at one o’clock, we use es la…

For the other hours, we use son las…

How to say the time in Spanish

The basics:.

To say …past the hour, use y + number of minutes past.

To say …to the hour, use the upcoming hour + menos :

Like in English, Spanish doesn’t specify exact minutes in everyday contexts. The time is approximated as follows:

Complete Overview of the Time in Spanish

The table below shows the official forms of the time as well as the way that you will hear and use most often.

Like in English, Spanish adds context to the 12-hour clock with phrases like in the morning, in the afternoon , etc.

• de la madrugada: 1:00 am – 6:00 am Example: 1:00 a.m. → la una de la madrugada
• de la mañana: 6:00 am – 12:00 pm Example: 10:00 am → las diez de la mañana
• del mediodía: las 12 Example: 12:00 pm → las doce del mediodía
• de la tarde: 1:00 pm – 8:00 pm Example: 6:00 pm → las seis de la tarde
• de la noche: 8:00 pm – 12:00 pm Example: 9:00 pm → las nueve de la noche

Telling the time in Latin America

In some countries in Latin America, they use the word para to mean … minutes to .

¿A qué hora quedamos?

To ask at what time , we use ¿a qué hora…?

To answer, we use the preposition a (= at).

The 24-hour Clock in Spanish

The 24-hour clock is rarely used in Spanish. It is spoken the same way as in English: cardinal number + horas/minutos.

Important phrases for telling the time in Spanish

¿Qué hora es? / ¿Qué hora tienes? What time is it? / What time do you have? → Son las diez. It’s ten o’clock. → Son las once y quarto. It’s quarter past one. → Son las 21:43. It’s 21.43.

¿Cuándo quedamos? / ¿A qué hora quedamos? When are we meeting? / What time are we meeting? → Quedamos a las ocho. We’re meeting at 8 (o’clock). → Quedamos a las ocho y media. We’re meeting at half past 8.

¿Cuándo sale el tren? / ¿A qué hora sale el tren? When does the train leave? / What time does the train leave? → El tren sale a las siete. The train leaves at 7 (o’clock). → El tren sale a las siete y veintiocho. The train leaves at 7:28.

¿Cuándo empieza la clase? / ¿A qué hora empieza la clase? When does the class start? / What time does the class start? → La clase empieza a las nueve. Class starts at 9 (o’clock). → La clase empieza a las siete y cincuenta. Class starts at 7.50. → La clase empieza a las ocho menos cinco. Class starts at five to 8.

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How to Tell Time in Spanish: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Even though it’s a very useful skill and excellent practice of numbers , learning how to tell time (la hora) in Spanish is sometimes skipped by self-learners and classes.

In this post, we’ll teach you many time-related phrases and vocabulary to communicate effectively when you’re llegando tarde  (running late) or de camino (on the way). 

How to Ask for the Time in Spanish

How to tell time on the hour in spanish, how to tell the exact time in spanish, how to tell time past and to the hour in spanish , spanish time expressions and vocabulary, time telling quiz, how to practice telling time in spanish, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

There are three main ways to ask for the time in Spanish:

¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

¿Qué horas son? (What time is it?)

¿Tiene(s) la hora? (Do you have the time?)

Note that ¿Qué hora es? is the most common way you’ll hear or use.

Then to tell someone what the time is, you’ll need to follow this formula:

Es/son + la/las + [hour].

So if the time just happens to be on the hour,   you might say:

And if you need to review your numbers, you can do that here . 

Now let’s take a deeper look at the components of this formula:

• Use ser, not estar. Though it may be counterintuitive, we always use ser  to tell the time, not estar . Apparently, time is a permanent entity and therefore doesn’t want to be described using estar , which suggests temporariness.
• Singular versus plural. We actually only use es for one o’clock and all times between 1:00 and 1:59: this is because one hour is singular. Use son for two o’clock and beyond.
• Time is feminine. That’s why we say, Son las seis  (It’s six o’clock), for example. Because time is feminine, you should always use las  and la to describe time, never el or los.

To say any time between the hour and half past, this formula is the most common:

Es/son + [the hour] + [number of minutes past the hour]

You can also tell the time with different prepositions in the following formulas, however they are slightly less common:

Es/son + [the hour] + y + [number of minutes past the hour]

Es/son + [the hour] + con + [number of minutes past the hour]

For example:

To say that it is half past the hour, use this formula:

Es/son + [the hour] +  y media/treinta.

Notice that it’s not y medio since hora is feminine.

To say that it’s quarter past the hour, use this:

Es/son  + [the hour] +  y cuarto/ quince.

Note that cuarto does end in o because it means “quarter” and the word is masculine.

Once you get past the 30-minute mark, you need to use menos or para and refer to the hour that is approaching, just like when you use “quarter to” in English:

Es/son + [the hour approaching] + menos cuarto .

Es/son   + cuarto + para + [the hour approaching].

Let’s look at some examples:

Besides the numbers zero to 60 and the sentence structures I just went over, there are some more expressions and vocabulary that’ll help you talk about time in Spanish. Here are a few of them:

Write these times in Spanish:

Answer Key:

1. Es la una cinco.

2. Son las tres cincuenta y cinco. / Son las cuatro menos cinco. / Son cinco para las cuatro.

3. Son las once y cuarto/quince.

4. Son las nueve y media/treinta.

5. Son las nueve.

6. Son las cinco cuarenta y cinco. / Son las seis menos cuarto. / Son cuarto para las seis.

7. Son las seis cincuenta. / Son las siete menos diez. / Son diez para las siete.

• Use online games. You can test yourself using this online game —or with  this one or this one , which are time-telling games of various levels with reviews to test your newly learned skills.

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• Integrate time telling into your regular life . Every time you look at your watch, phone or tablet in your normal English-speaking life, you could say the time aloud in Spanish. You could even set up an alert on your phone to remind you to do this, perhaps asking “¿ Qué hora es ?” until you get into the habit of doing this regularly. A more low-tech version of this would be to put a sticky note next to your alarm clock.
• If someone asks for the time, say it in both languages. Warning: this one maybe is best done with close friends, as strangers on the bus might not appreciate your bilingual time-telling skills!

So there you have it. Now you know how to tell the time in Spanish! Give it a whirl right away: what time is it now?

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How to say Homework in Spanish?

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Telling the time in Spanish

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Video transcript video transcript.

Telling the time in Spanish.

What time is it? - ¿Qué hora es?

It’s three o’clock - son las tres .

In Spanish you say son and las before the time.

Son las ocho .

Son las nueve .

The only time you don’t is when it’s one o’clock, then you say es la una .

But you’ll want to say more than that.

Son las dos y cuarto - it’s quarter past two.

Son las dos y media - it’s half past two.

Son las tres menos cuarto - it’s quarter to three.

But that could be three in the afternoon or three in the morning.

There are ways to tell them apart.

Son las tres y cuarto…de la mañana - in the morning.

Son las tres y cuarto…de la tarde - in the afternoon.

And for night you say de la noche .

Son las nueve de la noche .

With all this information, you’ll always be on time.

Saying what time it is - on the hour

To find out what the time is, ask ¿Qué hora es? - What time is it?

Reply with son las followed by a number to say the time on the hour.

For example:

¿Qué hora es? - What time is it?

Son las dos - It is two o’clock.

Audio Transcript Audio Transcript

¿Qué hora es?

What time is it?

Son las dos.

It is two o’clock.

However, for one o’clock use es la instead of son las .

Es la una - It is one o’clock.

It is one o’clock.

Here is a reminder of useful numbers to help you to say the time in Spanish.

Describing daily routine

To describe what you do during the day and at what time, you may need to use some reflexive verbs .

Reflexive verbs are verbs that talk about, demonstrate or describe an action that is being done to the person who is carrying out the action, like saying for example ‘to myself’, such as ‘I wash myself’.

Me levanto a las ocho menos cuarto - I get up at quarter to eight.

Me lavo a las ocho - I get washed at eight o'clock.

Me acuesto a las nueve y media - I go to bed at half past nine.

Click on the activity below to see how much you know about telling the time.

Watch the video and test your understanding of telling the time in Spanish in this short quiz!

PAULA: Gracias.

ÁLVARO: De nada.

PAULA: ¿Qué hora es?

ÁLVARO: Son las dos menos cuarto.

PAULA: Ay ¡Me tengo que ir ahora! porque a las dos como con mi familia y siempre comemos a las dos.

ÁLVARO: Vale, ¡no es un problema!

PAULA: ¿Qué haces este fin de semana?

ÁLVARO: No lo sé.

PAULA: ¿Quieres ir al cine?

ÁLVARO: Sí, pero todos los sábados juego al fútbol.

PAULA: Hmmm…El domingo voy a casa de mi abuela con mi hermanastra.

ÁLVARO: Entonces podemos ir al cine el viernes por la noche. ¿Qué te parece?

PAULA: Depende… ¿A qué hora es la película?

ÁLVARO: Un momento…a las siete y cuarto o a las nueve y media.

PAULA: Ok, prefiero ir temprano.

ÁLVARO: Sí, yo prefiero ir a las siete y cuarto porque debo estar en casa a las diez.

PAULA: Ok, perfecto. ¿Nos vemos en la puerta del cine a las siete?

ÁLVARO: ¡Genial! Hasta el viernes.

PAULA: Vale ¡Adiós!

Translation:

PAULA: Thanks.

ÁLVARO: You’re welcome.

PAULA: What time is it?

ÁLVARO: It’s a quarter to two.

PAULA: Ah, I have to go now! Because at two I have lunch with my family and we always have lunch at two.

ÁLVARO: Ok, no problem!

PAULA: What are you doing this weekend?

ÁLVARO: I don’t know.

PAULA: Do you want to go to the cinema?

ÁLVARO: Yes, but I play football every Saturday.

PAULA: Hmm…On Sunday I am going to my grandmother’s house with my step-sister.

ÁLVARO: OK, then we can go to the cinema on Friday night. What do you think?

PAULA: It depends….What time is the film?

ÁLVARO: One second….at a quarter past seven or half past nine.

PAULA: OK, I prefer to go early.

ÁLVARO: Yes, I prefer to go at a quarter past seven because I have to be home at ten.

PAULA: OK, perfect. Shall we meet at the cinema entrance at seven?

ÁLVARO: Great! See you on Friday.

PAULA: OK, bye!

Game - FestiLingo: Spanish

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Mastering Time in Spanish

Updated april 04, 2024.

Understanding how to express and inquire about time in Spanish is crucial for daily interactions, from scheduling personal outings to setting up business meetings. This guide will equip you with the necessary skills to both ask for and tell the time in Spanish, streamlining your ability to plan and manage your agenda effectively.

Asking for the Time

Initiating conversations about time is a fundamental skill. Here are some key phrases to ask for the time in Spanish:

• “¿Qué hora es, por favor?” – What time is it, please?
• “¿A qué hora nos reunimos?” – What time shall we meet?
• “¿Tienes la hora?” – Do you have the time?
• “¿Sabes qué hora es?” – Do you know what time it is?

Telling the Time

While telling the time in Spanish might seem daunting at first, a few simple rules can guide you:

• Use of “Ser”: The verb “ser” is used in the third person plural form (“son las”) except when referring to one o’clock, where it is singular (“es la”).
• Feminine Gender: Time expressions are always feminine (“la una”, “las dos”).
• Inclusion of Minutes: Typically, minutes are included for precision, such as “Son las cuatro y diez” (It’s ten past four). However, for on-the-hour times, stating minutes is unnecessary, e.g., “Son las cuatro en punto” (It’s 4:00 p.m. sharp).
• “Es la una en punto.” – It’s one o’clock.
• “Son las once en punto.” – It’s eleven o’clock.

Colloquial Time Expressions

In casual conversations, precision often gives way to general time frames:

• “y cuarto” – quarter past
• “y media” – half past
• “cuarto para” (or “menos cuarto”) – quarter to

For example:

• “Son las cuatro y media.” – It’s half past four.
• “Es un cuarto para la una.” – It’s quarter to one.
• “Son tres y cuarto.” – It’s quarter past three.

Armed with these expressions, you’re now more prepared to engage in Spanish conversations about time. For those looking to deepen their language skills, Bright Lingua offers dynamic online lessons aimed at helping you achieve fluency in Spanish from the start. Expand your linguistic abilities with us and navigate your day with confidence.

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How To Tell Time in Spanish: Hours on the Clock and More

Master the clock with the ultimate guide to telling time in Spanish!

This guide is perfect for learning how to tell the time in Spanish for beginners. I break downtime words, phrases, and vocabulary into palatable bite-sized pieces. I also provide lots of detailed explanations and conversation examples so that you talk about time like a native speaker. By the end of this post, you’ll even be able to name the parts of the clock in Spanish! 

Are you ready? It’s time to get started!

How To Say Time in Spanish

It’s important to go over the basics and start out with the word “time”. There is no single way to say “time” in Spanish! Here are some of the most common words for “time” in Spanish that you might come across. 

1. Past, Present, Future ( El tiempo)

Anytime you want to reference time in general el tiempo is the best word to use. This word talks about time itself: the past, present, and future.

La nave espacial podría viajar en el tiempo. The spaceship could travel through time.

2. The Hour ( La hora )

La hora gets a little bit more specific. This is a way to talk about a certain hour of time. It’s most often used to ask “what time is it?”

¿Qué hora es? What time is it?

3. The Occasion ( La vez )

La vez talks about a certain occasion of time. For example, “the first time” and “the last time” are both used with la vez in Spanish.

Es la primera vez que voy a España. This is the first time I’ve been to Spain.

4. The Moment ( El momento )

El momento is used just like the English “moment”. It talks about a shorter period of time and gets even more specific. 

En este momento, el estudiante debe llegar para el examen. At this time, the student should arrive for the exam.

5. Era (La época )

An era of time is a period of time in history that is identified by cultural or historical factors. This period of time is much longer than the others and can last for centuries. 

La época romana duró varios siglos. The Roman era lasted several centuries.

6. Period ( El tiempo )

All other periods of time are translated as el tiempo . This is the most generic way to say time in Spanish and can be very versatile. 

No hay mucho tiempo antes del eclipse. There isn’t much time before the eclipse.

Spanish Time Vocabulary

There are a few key vocabulary words that are essential for telling time in Spanish. 

Parts of the Clock in Spanish

You can’t tell the time in Spanish without clocks! These are an important part of learning Spanish hours and minutes. Here are the most important clock words to know. 

1. Hours ( Las Horas )

This is probably the most obvious part of the clock. The big bold numbers are the first thing that catch your eye when you look up for the time. 

2. Minute Lines (Las líneas de los minutos)

These are the super small lines that go in between the big hour numbers. They help you pinpoint the exact minute of time on the clock.

3. Hour Hand ( El horario )

The hour hand is the thickest and shortest arrow on the clock. Just as its name indicates, it points out the hour on the clock.

4. Minute Hand ( El minutero )

The minute hand is longer than the hour hand. Again, the name tells you exactly what this hand is used for — telling the minutes!

5. Second Hand ( El segundero )

Not all clocks have a second hand but the most precise ones do. This hand is usually long and very skinny. It moves rapidly as it must constantly keep up with the changing seconds for accuracy. 

How To Tell Someone the Time in Spanish

Now that you know the most common time words in Spanish you can learn how to use them. 

Get ready to learn how to tell the time in Spanish!

Telling Time on the Exact Hour

The first step in learning to tell time in Spanish is understanding how to talk about an exact hour. 

Expressing time in Spanish is different from how you talk about time in English. Spanish uses the plural third-person form of the verb ser when talking about time. This is because Spanish hours are always feminine. 

The number, or hour, is always preferenced with the plural feminine definite article ( las ). This is because it’s referring to the word hora , which is feminine. 

Let’s look at some examples!

Son las dos.  It’s two o’clock.

Son las tres. It’s three o’clock.

Son las cuatro.  It’s four o’clock.

Son las cinco. It’s five o’clock.

Do you see the pattern? Telling time on the hour is super easy! An important note to remember though: one o’clock is an exception to this rule! Instead of the plural form, one uses the singular form of ser since it is only one hour. 

Es la una. It’s one o’clock.

Telling Time off of the Hour

Realistically, the time isn’t usually right at the hour. When you look at the clock, its hands are probably somewhere in between the hours. Luckily, Spanish has a few common phrases that solve this problem. 

• half past — y media
• quarter past — y cuarto
• a quarter until the hour — menos cuarto

Son las dos y media.  It’s two-thirty.

Es la una y cuarto.  It’s one fifteen.

Son las seis menos cuarto.  It’s a quarter until six.

Adding the Minutes

Need to be even more specific? You can also add the exact number of minutes past the hour. It’s incredibly simple, just follow the formula below!

es/son + las + hour + number of minutes

Son las cuatro veintinueve. It’s four twenty-nine

Son las siete cuarenta y ocho. It’s seven forty-eight.

This how to tell the time in Spanish video goes over this same information in a fun visual format!

How To Discuss Time in Spanish

Here are some great examples of time questions and answers that you might receive. 

How To Ask for the Time

¿A qué hora empieza?  At what hour does it start?

¿A qué hora vas a levantar?  At what hour will you get up?

How To Respond

A la una.  At one.

A las cinco.  At five.

Here’s a list of useful time phrases in Spanish that will help your sentences flow together naturally. For an extra telling time in Spanish practice, check out these time expressions that will further deepen your language skills. 

Time Phrases in Spanish Part 1

Time phrases in spanish part 2, it’s time to level-up your spanish.

Great job telling time in Spanish! When you start learning Spanish, you’re setting yourself up for future success. With over 53 million Spanish speakers in the U.S. alone, there are thousands of ways for you to use your language skills. From increased job opportunities to keeping your mind sharper for longer , it helps to know a second language. 

Learning how to tell the time in Spanish is a huge step forward on your language journey! However, consistent practice with a native-speaking teacher is the best way to achieve fluency. That’s why homeschool Spanish Academy offers personalized lessons with our certified teachers from Guatemala. We offer flexible scheduling and personalized lesson plans to suit all of your language learning needs. Try out a free class today!

Ready to learn more Spanish grammar and vocabulary? Check these out!

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How to Tell Time in Spanish: The Ultimate Guide

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BY Annabel Beilby

April 25, 2018

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¡Hola!   Telling the time is an important skill, so we’ve given you a complete guide on how to do it in Spanish, split into handy sections. Sit back, relax, and let’s learn how to tell time in Spanish !

How to tell time in Spanish: Num bers 1 - 59

Let’s get started with the basics. 

*in this article, we’ve used the “th” sound that you’d find in words like “think” or “thanks,” but in many parts of the Spanish-speaking world, including most of Latin America, the “th” sound will be replaced with a “s” sound as in “seaside.”

From 16 onward, things start to look a bit more logical. All you need to remember is that “y” (pronounced ee ) means “and.”

Example: 17 => 10 + 7 => ten and seven => diez y siete => diecisiete

Then we get to 20, or “veinte.” Instead of pronouncing “veinte- ee -uno,” we mush it all together, making the word flow better: “veintiuno.”

Example: 27 => 20 + 7 => twenty and seven => veinte y siete => veintisiete

At this point, we stop mushing things together. It’s simply ‘tens’ y ‘units.’ You’ve probably got to grips with the pattern by now, but here they all are laid out just in case:

How to Ask for the Time in Spanish

Next, we want to know enough vocabulary to ask for the time!

*You might also hear “¿qué horas son?” in some parts of Latin America, but overall it’s less commonly used than “¿qué hora es?”.

To respond to this question, we use the verb “ser” (“to be”). Instead of x o’clock, Spanish speakers count hours.

Example: Son las 8 => it is 8 (hours) => it is 8 o’clock.

Usually, you’ll need to use “son las...” ( sohn lahs )  to mean “it is” but occasionally you use “es la” ( ehs lah ). This is because “son las” is used for plural times, i.e. anything bigger than 1 o’clock. “Es la” is singular, so it’s used for 1 o’clock (and x minutes past 1).

How to Say o’clock in Spanish

So, let’s have a look at the following times:

Usually, when we say “it’s 12 o’clock,” we know whether it’s the middle of the day or the middle of the night by, like, seeing if it’s dark outside. But sometimes we prefer to make it extra clear:

"Half past" in Spanish

When it’s half past the hour, we use “y media,” ( ee ’meh-dee-ah ) which means “and half.” See if these examples make sense:

"Quarter past" in Spanish

To say that it’s quarter past the hour, we add “y cuarto” ( ee ’kwahr-toh ), which means “and quarter.”

Makes sense, right?!

"Quarter to" in Spanish

Like in English, we can still use the word for “quarter,” but this time we say “menos cuarto” ( ’meh-nohs ’kwahr-toh ) meaning “minus quarter.” So, we’re taking a quarter away from the hour that we’re approaching. For instance:

Some countries will use these versions instead to mean the same thing:

“Falta un cuarto para las x.”

“Es cuarto para las x.”

"Minutes past" in Spanish

For highly specific numbers (i.e. not quarters or halves), we have a pretty simple rule! We just say the “o’clock” bit and then say “y” (“and”) and add the number of minutes past the hour! This will become clearer once we’ve seen some examples.

"Minutes to" in Spanish

And for minutes to the hour, you guessed it, we use “menos” ( ’meh-nohs ). Simple, right?

A few extras

If you’ve got all that, and want to know some extra vocab on how to tell time in Spanish (that will make you sound super native ), take a look at these:

* You might also hear “y pico,” which is understood as “a few minutes past” in some places, but in other countries, it could refer to anything up to around 50 minutes past the hour.

12-hour vs 24-hour clock

Depending on where you’re from, you may be more used to the 12-hour clock than the 24-hour clock (military time). In Spanish-speaking destinations, you could encounter both. Like in English, spoken Spanish tends to use the 12-hour clock, even if the time is sometimes written in the 24-hour format. 

For example, if you were reading out theater times, the page in front of you might say “15:00,” but you’d say to your friend on the phone, “it starts at 3.”

It’s time (see what I did there?) for a mini-test!

Use the guide we’ve given you and see if you can figure out what the following phrases mean.

Click to reveal the correct answer

• Es mediodía.

It’s midday.

• Son las tres y media.
• Son las cuatro y cuarto.
• Son las siete menos cuarto.
• Son las ocho y diez.
• Son las nueve menos cinco.
• Son las once en punto.

It’s exactly 11 on the dot.

• Son las once de la mañana.

It’s 11 am.

Keep practicing ...

Whether you’ve struggled with telling time in Spanish or found it pretty easy, practicing Spanish daily will help you get to grips with telling the time.

Numbers are used often in everyday life, so the more you speak, the more opportunity you’ll get to practice them! If you know any native Spanish-speakers, try and practice what you’ve learnt with them.

¡Buena suerte!

About the author 

Annabel Beilby

Annabel is a language-enthusiast from the UK. She studied Spanish and French at the University of Southampton (with an Erasmus study year in Madrid!) and recently graduated. She has interests across the Spanish-speaking world, and is a fan of language in general.

this was the best lesson – easy to understand and very thorough

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