Telling Time in Spanish: La Hora

La Hora: Telling Time in Spanish

Asking What Time It Is

• To inquire about the current time, use the phrase: ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Basic Rules for Stating the Time

• When telling time, the general structure involves es or son followed by la or las and the hour.

  • For one o'clock, use: es + la with una.

    • Example: Es la una. (It's one o'clock.)

  • For all other hours (two o'clock through twelve o'clock), use: son + las.

    • Example: Son las dos. (It's two o'clock.)

• Special Cases for Es:

  • Es mediodía. (It's noon.)

  • Es medianoche. (It's midnight.)

Dividing the Clock for Minute Reference

• To effectively tell time in Spanish, mentally split the clock into two parts:

  • The right side (from the $12$ to the $6$) – minutes past the hour.

  • The left side (from the $6$ to the $12$) – minutes to the next hour.

Key Vocabulary for Minutes

• Cuarto: Means quarter. Used for $15$ minutes past or to the hour.

  • Example: Son las tres y cuarto. (It's $3:15$, or quarter past three.)

• Media: Means half. Used for $30$ minutes past the hour.

  • Meaning: half past the hour.

  • Example: Seis y media. (Six and a half, or half past six, i.e., $6:30$).

• En Punto: Means o'clock. Used for times on the hour.

Telling Time: When the Minute Hand is on the Right Side of the Clock (Y)

• When the minute hand is between the $12$ and the $6$ (inclusive of $15$ and $30$ minutes), we use the word Y (and).

• Structure: HORA Y MINUTOS.

  • The hour is stated first, followed by Y, then the number of minutes past the hour.

• Examples:

  • 3:15 is `Son las tres y cuarto.$(three and a quarter).</p></li><li><p><code>4:30</code> is `Son las cuatro y media.$ (four and a half).

  • 2:20 is `Son las dos y veinte.$(two and twenty).</p></li><li><p><code>12:10</code> is `Son las doce y diez.$ (twelve and ten).

• Practice Examples (Right Side):

  • 5:30

  • 11:15

  • 10:25

  • 8:16

  • 9:23

  • 7:08

Telling Time: When the Minute Hand is on the Left Side of the Clock (MENOS)

• When the minute hand is between the $6$ and the $12$, we use the word MENOS (minus).

• Concept: This translates to