In this lesson, we will talk about how to tell the time in Spanish (with audio), it’s one of the skills that we practice daily in our conversations, so we will see how to talk about time, and learn some useful vocab, let’s get started!
How To Tell The Time In Spanish
How to ask what time is it?
Here are the most common ways to ask the time in Spanish:
¿Que hora es? = what time is it?
¿Que hora es ahora? (what time is it now?)
¿Tienes hora? = do you have the time?
¿Sabes qué hora es? (Do you know what time it is?)
¿Podría decirme qué hora es, por favor? (Could you tell me what time it is, please?)
Note 1: You can always add “por favor” (please) in front or at the end of your question.
Note 2: We used the word “hora” (hour) in the plural and the verb “Ser” (to be) conjugated in the first singular.
How to say the time in Spanish
From one o’clock to twelve o’clock:
| English | Spanish |
| it’s one o’clock | Es la una |
| it’s two o’clock | Son las dos |
| it’s three o’clock | Son las tres |
| it’s four o’clock | Son las cuatro |
| it’s five o’clock | Son las cinco |
| it’s six o’clock | Son las seis |
| it’s seven o’clock | Son las siete |
| it’s eight o’clock | Son las ocho |
| it’s nine o’clock | Son las nueve |
| it’s ten o’clock | Son las diez |
| it’s eleven o’clock | Son las once |
| it’s twelve o’clock | Son las doce |
| 12:00 PM | mediodía |
| 12:00 AM | medianoche |
Note: you can practice what you’ve learned here, and learn how to pronounce each of the words in our Memrise course here, don’t know how to use the platform or sign up? we’ve got you covered in this easy-to-follow tutorial here.
Notes:
- Since “hora” is a feminine noun, we used the feminine articles “la” and “las”
- We use the verb “Ser” in the third person singular “es” only to say “Es la una” (it is one o’clock) because “hora” is singular, same with “mediodía” (noon) and “medianoche” (midnight), for the other ones we use the verb “Ser” in the third person plural “Son“
Related: Numbers in Spanish
How to tell the hours and minutes
- 4:15 – Son las cuatro y cuarto.
- 4:20 – Son las cuatro y veinte.
- 4:30 – Son las cuatro e trinta.
- 4:30 – Son las cuatro y media.
- 4:45 – Son las cinco menos cuarto.
- 4:50 – Son las cinco menos diez.
- 4:55 – Son las cinco menos cinco.
- 3:10 = Son las tres y diez.
- 1:10 = Es la una y diez.
- 1:10 pm – es la una y diez de la tarde
- 1:10 pm – es la una y diez de la mañana
Tips:
- To say AM = la mañana. For example: son las diez de la mañana.
- To say PM= la tarde (afternoon) and de la noche (evening). For example: son las cuatro de la tarde. Son las once de la noche.
- When it is between 1 and 5am: de la madrugada. So, 3am = son las tres de la madrugada.
Happy learning!