9. Telling Time in Spanish

Learning to tell time in Spanish is an essential skill for beginners. Understanding how to ask for and tell the time will significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations. In this section, we will explore how to express time in Spanish, covering everything from basic vocabulary to more complex structures.

Basic Vocabulary

Before diving into telling time, it's crucial to familiarize yourself with some basic vocabulary associated with time:

• Hora - Hour
• Minuto - Minute
• Segundo - Second
• Reloj - Clock
• Tiempo - Time

Asking for the Time

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

• ¿Qué hora es? - What time is it?
• ¿Tienes hora? - Do you have the time?

These questions are straightforward and will help you inquire about the time in various contexts.

Telling the Time: Basic Structure

When telling the time in Spanish, you generally start with the phrase “Es la” for one o'clock and “Son las” for all other hours. Here is the basic structure:

• Es la una. - It's one o'clock.
• 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.
• Son las seis. - It's six o'clock.
• Son las siete. - It's seven o'clock.
• Son las ocho. - It's eight o'clock.
• Son las nueve. - It's nine o'clock.
• Son las diez. - It's ten o'clock.
• Son las once. - It's eleven o'clock.
• Son las doce. - It's twelve o'clock.

Minutes Past the Hour

To express minutes past the hour, you simply add the number of minutes after the hour. For example:

• Es la una y cinco. - It's five past one.
• Son las dos y diez. - It's ten past two.
• Son las tres y cuarto. - It's a quarter past three.
• Son las cuatro y veinte. - It's twenty past four.
• Son las cinco y veinticinco. - It's twenty-five past five.

Note that “cuarto” is used for a quarter past the hour.

Minutes to the Hour

When expressing minutes to the hour, you use the word “menos” (minus). For example:

• Son las seis menos cinco. - It's five to six.
• Son las siete menos diez. - It's ten to seven.
• Son las ocho menos cuarto. - It's a quarter to eight.
• Son las nueve menos veinte. - It's twenty to nine.
• Son las diez menos veinticinco. - It's twenty-five to ten.

Again, “cuarto” is used for a quarter to the hour.

Using “Media” for Half Past

The word “media” is used to indicate half past the hour. For example:

• Es la una y media. - It's half past one.
• Son las dos y media. - It's half past two.
• Son las tres y media. - It's half past three.

AM and PM

In Spanish, the 24-hour clock is commonly used, especially in formal contexts. However, when using the 12-hour clock, you can specify AM and PM using the following expressions:

• de la mañana - in the morning
• de la tarde - in the afternoon
• de la noche - in the evening/night

For example:

• Son las ocho de la mañana. - It's eight in the morning.
• Son las tres de la tarde. - It's three in the afternoon.
• Son las nueve de la noche. - It's nine in the evening.

Expressing Noon and Midnight

In Spanish, special terms are used for noon and midnight:

• Es mediodía. - It's noon.
• Es medianoche. - It's midnight.

Practice Exercises

To reinforce your understanding of telling time in Spanish, try these practice exercises. Translate the following times from English to Spanish:

1. It's a quarter past two.
2. It's ten to five.
3. It's half past seven in the evening.
4. It's noon.
5. It's twenty past eleven in the morning.

Answers:

1. Son las dos y cuarto.
2. Son las cinco menos diez.
3. Son las siete y media de la noche.
4. Es mediodía.
5. Son las once y veinte de la mañana.

Conclusion

Mastering the art of telling time in Spanish will greatly improve your communication skills. Whether you're making plans, catching a train, or simply trying to stick to a schedule, knowing how to express time accurately is invaluable. Practice regularly, and soon you'll find that telling time in Spanish becomes second nature.