horas
“horas” means “hours” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
hours
📝 In Action
La película dura dos horas.
A1The movie lasts for two hours.
Necesito dormir ocho horas esta noche.
A1I need to sleep eight hours tonight.
Nos vemos en unas horas.
A2See you in a few hours.
o'clock / time
📝 In Action
¿Qué horas son? —Son las tres.
A1What time is it? —It's three o'clock.
La clase empieza a las nueve horas.
A1The class starts at nine o'clock.
Llegó a altas horas de la noche.
B1He arrived very late at night (in the wee hours).
Translate to Spanish
Words that translate to "horas" in Spanish:
hours→✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: horas
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'I have a lot of free time today'?
📚 More Resources
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes directly from the Latin word 'hōra', which meant 'hour', 'time', or 'season'. This Latin word is also the ancestor of 'hour' in English, making them distant cousins!
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you say 'Son las dos' but 'Es la una' when telling time?
Think of it as a shortened sentence. You're really saying 'Son las dos horas' (They are two hours) and 'Es la una hora' (It is one hour). Since 'una' (one) is singular, you use the singular verb 'es'. For all other numbers, which are plural, you use the plural verb 'son'.
Is it better to ask '¿Qué hora es?' or '¿Qué horas son?'
Both are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing: 'What time is it?'. You can use them interchangeably. Some places might prefer one over the other, but everyone will understand you no matter which one you choose.