Spanish Time Telling

Spanish Time Telling

by Alina

Knowing how to tell time in Spanish is an important part of communicating effectively in the Spanish language. Whether you’re making plans with friends, setting up appointments or simply want to know what time it is. Being able to tell time in Spanish is a useful skill to have.

In this guide I’ll go over the basics of telling time in Spanish, including how to read the clock, how to say specific times and how to use common time related phrases.

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With some practice and repetition, you’ll be telling time in Spanish like a pro in no time!

Basic Time Vocabulary in Spanish

Here are some basic time-related words and phrases in Spanish that you should know:

  • Tiempo (Time)
  • Reloj (Clock)
  • Hora (Hour)
  • Minuto (Minute)
  • Segundo (Second)
  • Mañana (Morning)
  • Tarde (Afternoon)
  • Noche (Night)
  • Ayer (Yesterday)
  • Hoy (Today)
  • Mañana (Tomorrow)
  • Calendario (Calendar)
  • Año (Year)
  • Mes (Month)
  • Semana (Week)
  • Día (Day)
  • Lunes (Monday)
  • Martes (Tuesday)
  • Miércoles (Wednesday)
  • Jueves (Thursday)
  • Viernes (Friday)
  • Sábado (Saturday)
  • Domingo (Sunday)

Expressing Time in Spanish

When telling time in Spanish, it is important to use the verb “ser” rather than “estar.” “Ser” is used to describe permanent entities, such as time, while “estar” is used to describe temporary or changing states. When telling time in Spanish, you should use the third person singular form of “ser” when referring to one o’clock, and the plural form for all other hours. For example, to say “it is one o’clock,” you would say “es la una,” while to say “it is three o’clock,” you would say “son las tres.”

There are a few different ways to express time in Spanish. Here are some common phrases and expressions:

  • Es la una. (It is 1 o’clock.)
  • Son las dos. (It is 2 o’clock.)
  • Son las tres. (It is 3 o’clock.)
  • Son las cuatro. (It is 4 o’clock.)
  • Son las cinco. (It is 5 o’clock.)
  • Son las seis. (It is 6 o’clock.)
  • Son las siete. (It is 7 o’clock.)
  • Son las ocho. (It is 8 o’clock.)
  • Son las nueve. (It is 9 o’clock.)
  • Son las diez. (It is 10 o’clock.)
  • Son las once. (It is 11 o’clock.)
  • Son las doce. (It is 12 o’clock.)

To express time in Spanish with minutes, you can use the phrase y (and) followed by the number of minutes:

  • Son las dos y veinte. (It is 2:20.)
  • Son las tres y cinco. (It is 3:05.)
  • Son las cuatro y media. (It is 4:30.)
  • Son las cinco y cuarenta y cinco. (It is 5:45.)

To express time in Spanish with “o’clock,” you can use la or las followed by the number of the hour:

  • Es la una en punto. (It is 1 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las dos en punto. (It is 2 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las tres en punto. (It is 3 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las cuatro en punto. (It is 4 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las cinco en punto. (It is 5 o’clock exactly.)

Days of the Week and Months of the Year

Here are the days of the week and months of the year in Spanish:

Days of the Week:

  • Lunes (Monday)
  • Martes (Tuesday)
  • Miércoles (Wednesday)
  • Jueves (Thursday)
  • Viernes (Friday)
  • Sábado (Saturday)
  • Domingo (Sunday)

I have written a detailed blog post about days of the week in Spanish. Take a look at that one included is also a video that will help you with the pronunciation and the history of the days of the week.

Months of the Year:

  • Enero (January)
  • Febrero (February)
  • Marzo (March)
  • Abril (April)
  • Mayo (May)
  • Junio (June)
  • Julio (July)
  • Agosto (August)
  • Septiembre (September)
  • Octubre (October)
  • Noviembre (November)
  • Diciembre (December)

Seasons and Dates

Seasons:

  • La primavera (Spring)
  • El verano (Summer)
  • El otoño (Autumn/Fall)
  • El invierno (Winter)

Dates:

  • El día de hoy (Today’s date)
  • El día de mañana (Tomorrow’s date)
  • El lunes (On Monday)
  • El martes (On Tuesday)
  • El miércoles (On Wednesday)
  • El jueves (On Thursday)
  • El viernes (On Friday)
  • El sábado (On Saturday)
  • El domingo (On Sunday)
  • El primero de (On the first of)
  • El dos de (On the second of)
  • El tres de (On the third of)
  • El cuatro de (On the fourth of)
  • El cinco de (On the fifth of)
  • El seis de (On the sixth of)
  • El siete de (On the seventh of)
  • El ocho de (On the eighth of)
  • El nueve de (On the ninth of)
  • El diez de (On the tenth of)
  • El once de (On the eleventh of)
  • El doce de (On the twelfth of)
  • El trece de (On the thirteenth of)
  • El catorce de (On the fourteenth of)
  • El quince de (On the fifteenth of)
  • El dieciséis de (On the sixteenth of)
  • El diecisiete de (On the seventeenth of)
  • El dieciocho de (On the eighteenth of)
  • El diecinueve de (On the nineteenth of)
  • El veinte de (On the twentieth of)
  • El veintiuno de (On the twenty-first of)
  • El veintidós de (On the twenty-second of)
  • El veintitrés de (On the twenty-third of)
  • El veinticuatro de (On the twenty-fourth of)
  • El veinticinco de (On the twenty-fifth of)
  • El veintiséis de (On the twenty-sixth of)
  • El veintisiete de (On the twenty-seventh of)
  • El veintiocho de (On the twenty-eighth of)
  • El veintinueve de (On the twenty-ninth of)
  • El treinta de (On the thirtieth of)
  • El treinta y uno de (On the thirty-first of)

Telling Time and Reading Clocks

To tell time in Spanish, you can use the following phrases:

  • Es la una. (It is 1 o’clock.)
  • Son las dos. (It is 2 o’clock.)
  • Son las tres. (It is 3 o’clock.)
  • Son las cuatro. (It is 4 o’clock.)
  • Son las cinco. (It is 5 o’clock.)
  • Son las seis. (It is 6 o’clock.)
  • Son las siete. (It is 7 o’clock.)
  • Son las ocho. (It is 8 o’clock.)
  • Son las nueve. (It is 9 o’clock.)
  • Son las diez. (It is 10 o’clock.)
  • Son las once. (It is 11 o’clock.)
  • Son las doce. (It is 12 o’clock.)

To express time in Spanish with minutes, you can use the phrase y (and) followed by the number of minutes:

  • Son las dos y veinte. (It is 2:20.)
  • Son las tres y cinco. (It is 3:05.)
  • Son las cuatro y media. (It is 4:30.)
  • Son las cinco y cuarenta y cinco. (It is 5:45.)

To express time in Spanish with “o’clock,” you can use la or las followed by the number of the hour:

  • Es la una en punto. (It is 1 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las dos en punto. (It is 2 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las tres en punto. (It is 3 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las cuatro en punto. (It is 4 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las cinco en punto. (It is 5 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las seis en punto. (It is 6 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las siete en punto. (It is 7 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las ocho en punto. (It is 8 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las nueve en punto. (It is 9 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las diez en punto. (It is 10 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las once en punto. (It is 11 o’clock exactly.)
  • Son las doce en punto. (It is 12 o’clock exactly.)

To read clocks in Spanish, you can use the following phrases:

  • Son las tres y cuarto. (It is 3:15.)
  • Son las tres y media. (It is 3:30.)
  • Son las tres y treinta y cinco. (It is 3:35.)
  • Son las tres y cincuenta. (It is 3:50.)
  • Son las tres y cincuenta y cinco. (It is 3:55.)

how to ask for the time in Spanish

To ask for the time in Spanish, you can use the following phrases:

  • ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
  • ¿Qué hora son? (What time are they?)
  • ¿Puedes decirme la hora, por favor? (Can you tell me the time, please?)
  • ¿Puedes decirme qué hora es? (Can you tell me what time it is?)
  • ¿Puedes decirme qué hora son? (Can you tell me what time they are?)
  • ¿Tienes la hora? (Do you have the time?)
  • ¿Podrías decirme la hora, por favor? (Could you tell me the time, please?)

I hope this information on telling time and asking for the time in Spanish has been helpful! Remember to practice your skills by listening to native Spanish speakers and repeating what they say. With time and practice, you will become more confident and proficient in using these phrases in real-life situations.

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