Telling time in Spanish is one of the most important and basic skills you need to use the language. Luckily, regardless of the Spanish-speaking country you’re traveling through, telling time is universal. These time expressions will make asking for the time, telling time and setting appointments a breeze!
How to ask for the time
When asking for the time, we always use the 3rd person singular form of the verb ser.
¿Qué hora es?
Note: In some Latin American countries you may hear ¿Qué hora son?, or ¿Me regalas la hora? (Can you give me the time?) which are largely regionalisms.
How to say the time
When telling time we always use the 3rd person, plural form of the verb ser in both present and past tense. The only exception is when we say 1:00 o’clock in which we use the 3rd person, singular form. We also express the hour with the feminine article form of la or las.
| Son las 10:00 (de la mañana) | It is 10:00 o’clock (in the morning). |
| Es la 1:00 (de la tarde) | It is 1:00 o’clock (in the afternoon) |
| Eran las 9:00 de la noche cuando escuche un ruido afuera. | It was 9:00 o’clock at night when I heard a noise outside. |
| Era la una de mañana, cuando despertó el bebé. | It was 1:00 o’clock in the morning when the baby woke up. |
You can also express time numerically:
| Son las diez treinta y seis | It is 10:36. |
| Es la una veinte | It is 1:20. |
It is also common to use 15 and 30 minute increments:
| Son las cuatro y media. | It is four and a half (4:30). |
| Son las cinco y cuarto. | It is a quarter past 5:00 (5:15) |
* Note: It is also common to say al mediodia/a la medianoche or, at noon/midnight.
| ¿Qué si comemos al mediodía? | How about we eat lunch at noon? |
| Voy a llegar a la medianoche. | I will arrive at midnight. |
Other ways to express time:
son/es (la/las) + hour + menos + minutes (in Spain)
| 11:45 - Son las doce menos cuarto | It is 12:00 minus 15 minutes |
| 12:50 - Es la una menos diez | It is 1:00 minus 10 minutes |
son + minutes + para (la/las) + hour (in Latin America)
| 11:45 - Son quince minutos para las doce | It is 15 minutes until 12:00 |
| 12:50 - Son diez minutos para la una | It is 10 minutes until 1:00 |
To set a meeting or an appointment
When setting a time for a meeting or an appointment, we use the expression:
a las/a la + time
| Nos vemos a las 5:00 en el restaurante. | We will see each other at 5:00 at the restaurant. |
| Tengo una cita con la dentista a la 1:00. | I have a dentist appointment at 1:00. |
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Vocabulary: Time Expressions
| por la mañana, por la tarde, por la noche | in the morning, afternoon, evening (no specific time) |
| Estoy disponible manana por la tarde. | I am available tomorrow afternoon. |
| por la mañana, por la tarde, por la noche | in the morning, afternoon, evening (at a specific time) |
| Tengo una cita las 3:00 de la tarde. | I have an appointment at 3:00 in the afternoon. |
| segundo | second |
| minuto | minute |
| hora | hour |
| semana | week |
| mes | month |
| año | year |
* Reminder: When we pluralize a unit of time, you must add an “s”
Example:
un año → dos años, tres años…
un minuto → dos minutos, tres minutos…
| pasado mañana | the day after tomorrow |
| ayer | yesterday |
| anoche | last night |
| la noche anterior | the night before last |
| el lunes que viene | next Monday |
| la semana que viene | next week |
| el año que viene | next year |
| el lunes pasado | last Monday |
| la semana pasada | last week |
| el año pasado | last year |
| alrededor de | around |
| durante el día | during the day |
| a tiempo | on time |
| en punto | exactly, on-the-dot |
| tarde | late |
| temprano | early |
Vocabulary: Numbers
| uno | one |
| dos | two |
| tres | three |
| cuatro | four |
| cinco | five |
| seis | six |
| siete | seven |
| ocho | eight |
| nueve | nine |
| diez | ten |
| once | eleven |
| doce | twelve |
| trece | thirteen |
| catorce | fourteen |
| quince | fifteen |
| diez y seis | sixteen |
| diez y siete | seventeen |
| diez y ocho | eighteen |
| diez y nueve | nineteen |
| veinte | twenty |
| veintiuno | twenty-one |
| veintidos | twenty-two |
| …. | |
| treinta | thirty |
| treinta y uno | thirty-one |
| treinta y dos | thirty-two |
| …. | |
| cuarenta | forty |
| cincuenta | fifty |
| sesenta | sixty |
As with all new vocabulary and grammatical concepts in Spanish, start with the basics and work your way to the more complicated expressions. If you have just learned your numbers and it’s easiest for you to begin with saying the numerical expressions son las cinco treinta instead of son las cinco y media, that’s a great place to start! And better yet, you will be completely understood by locals. Happy time telling!