How to Say "minutes" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “minutes” is “minutos” — use 'minutos' when referring to a period of time, like seconds, hours, or days..
minutos
/mee-NOO-tohs//miˈnutos/
Examples
La reunión duró cuarenta y cinco minutos.
The meeting lasted forty-five minutes.
La película empieza en cinco minutos.
The movie starts in five minutes.
Espera unos minutos, por favor.
Wait a few minutes, please.
Tardo veinte minutos en llegar al trabajo.
It takes me twenty minutes to get to work.
Plural of 'minuto'
'Minutos' is simply the plural form of 'minuto' (minute). You use it for any number other than one. For example, 'un minuto' but 'dos minutos'.
Talking About Duration
To say how long something takes, you can use the verb 'tardar'. For example, 'Tardo diez minutos' means 'It takes me ten minutes'.
Using Plural for 'One'
Mistake: “Necesito un minutos.”
Correction: For the number one, always use the singular form: 'Necesito un minuto'. 'Minutos' is for two or more.
acta
/AK-tah//ˈakta/
Examples
Debemos aprobar el acta de la sesión anterior.
We must approve the minutes of the previous session.
El secretario leyó el acta de la reunión anterior.
The secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting.
Todos los socios deben firmar el acta para que sea oficial.
All partners must sign the minutes for them to be official.
Se levantó un acta detallando los puntos acordados.
A formal record was drawn up detailing the points agreed upon.
The 'A' Rule
Even though 'acta' is a feminine word, we say 'el acta' instead of 'la acta.' This happens because the word starts with a stressed 'a' sound. It's just a trick to make the language flow better so you don't have two 'a' sounds bumping into each other!
Keeping it Feminine
While we use 'el' for one 'acta,' the word remains feminine. This means any words describing it must end in 'a.' For example, you say 'el acta completA' (the complete record), not 'completo.' Also, when there's more than one, we go back to normal: 'las actas.'
The Article Trap
Mistake: “La acta de la reunión.”
Correction: El acta de la reunión. Always use 'el' for singular 'acta' to avoid the double 'a' sound clash.
Confusing Time vs. Official Record
Related Translations
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