You glance at your phone—you have a video call with your new language exchange partner from Madrid in ten minutes! But wait, is it ten minutes their time or your time? Knowing how to tell time is one of the most practical skills you can learn in a new language.
Whether you're trying to catch a bus in Bogotá, book a table in Barcelona, or just not be late for your next chat, mastering time is essential. Luckily, telling time in Spanish is a straightforward system you can see in many of our A1-level stories.
Ready? Let’s get started. The clock is ticking!
The Golden Question: Asking for the Time
First things first, how do you even ask? You have two main options, one more common and one slightly more polite.
- ¿Qué hora es? - This is the go-to phrase. It's friendly, direct, and you can use it in almost any situation. It literally means "What hour is it?"
- ¿Tiene hora? - This is a slightly more formal way to ask, translating to "Do you have the time?" You might use this when approaching a stranger you want to be extra polite with.
Now, let's get into how to answer that question.
The Basic Formula: It All Starts with Ser
In Spanish, telling time revolves around the verb serto be. The basic structure is:
Ser (conjugated) + definite article (la or las) + the hour
Here’s the single most important rule to remember, which uses a key concept from our guide on Ser vs. Estar:
- For one o'clock, you use the singular form: Es la una.
- For all other hours (2 through 12), you use the plural form: Son las dos, Son las tres, etc.
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Singular vs. Plural
Think of it this way: "una" is a single hour, so it gets the singular "es la." Everything else is multiple hours, so they get the plural "son las."
Adding the Minutes: Beyond the Hour
Of course, it's not always perfectly on the hour. Here’s how to add minutes. Spanish uses two different systems depending on which half of the clock you're on.
Minutes 1-30: The "Y" System
For the first half of the hour, it’s simple! Just add y (yand) and the number of minutes. If you need a refresher, check out our guide on Spanish numbers.
- 2:05 → Son las dos y cinco.
- 8:10 → Son las ocho y diez.
- 11:25 → Son las once y veinticinco.
Minutes 31-59: The "Menos" System
For the second half of the hour, things get a little different. Instead of adding minutes to the current hour, you go to the next hour and subtract the minutes. You'll use the word menos (menosminus/less).
This might feel weird at first, but think of it like saying "It's 10 to 5" in English.
- 4:50 → Son las cinco menos diez. (Literally: "It's five minus ten.")
- 9:40 → Son las diez menos veinte. (Literally: "It's ten minus twenty.")
- 12:55 → Es la una menos cinco. (Literally: "It's one minus five.")
The Quarter and Half Hours: Common Shortcuts
Just like in English, Spanish has special, easy-to-use terms for the 15 and 30-minute marks.
- :15 → y cuarto (quarter past)
- :30 → y media (half past)
- :45 → menos cuarto (quarter to)
Let's see them in action:
| Time | English Equivalent | Spanish Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| 7:15 | It's a quarter past 7. | Son las siete y cuarto. |
| 2:30 | It's half past 2. | Son las dos y media. |
| 8:45 | It's a quarter to 9. | Son las nueve menos cuarto. |
How would you say 'It's 10:30' in Spanish?
AM/PM and Times of Day
How do you specify morning, afternoon, or night? You simply add a phrase at the end. These are perfect for describing your daily routine.
- de la mañana (in the morning, from ~1 AM to noon)
- de la tarde (in the afternoon/evening, from noon to ~7 PM)
- de la noche (at night, from ~7 PM to midnight)
Examples:
- Son las siete de la mañana. (It's 7:00 AM.)
- Son las tres de la tarde. (It's 3:00 PM.)
- Son las nueve de la noche. (It's 9:00 PM.)
24-Hour Clock
In many Spanish-speaking countries, the 24-hour clock (military time) is very common for official uses like plane tickets, movie times, and business hours. So, you might see 15:00 instead of 3:00 de la tarde.
Test Your Skills!
Time to put it all together. Unscramble the sentence below to practice forming a complete time-telling phrase.
Arrange the words to form a correct sentence:
More Handy Time-Related Words
Here are a few more useful words to have in your back pocket:
- el mediodíanoon → Es el mediodía. (It's noon.)
- la medianochemidnight → Es la medianoche. (It's midnight.)
- en puntoon the dot / sharp → Son las seis en punto. (It's 6:00 sharp.)
- alrededor dearound / about → Nos vemos alrededor de las cinco. (See you around five.)
You've now got all the tools you need to ask for, understand, and tell the time in Spanish. The key, as with anything, is practice. Start by thinking about the time in Spanish throughout your day. The next time you look at a clock, challenge yourself: ¿Qué hora es?
And if you want to practice this and hundreds of other real-world language skills, be sure to check out the interactive lessons in the InkLingo app. ¡Hasta la próxima!