Knowing what time it is in Spanish can help you pass the language exam and sound like a native speaker when you visit a Hispanic country. Saying what time it is in Spanish is easy, after learning the verb '' ser '' (to be) and a few tricks. If you want to know how to tell what time it is in Spanish, just follow these steps.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Learn the basics
Step 1. Learn how to use the verb “ser” to say what time it is
"Ser" means "to be" and is the only verb to use to say what time it is. The two forms of "ser" are the plural one, "son las" (they are the) and the singular one, "es la" (they are the). "Es la" is used only when it is one o'clock. We use "son las" for all other hours of the day. For instance:
- Son las dos. It's two o'clock.
- Es la one. It is one o'clock.
Step 2. Say what time it is using whole hours
Before you learn how to say all times, you first need to know how to indicate only the hours. Simply say es la una to indicate one, and son las followed by the number associated with any other hour to say other times. Here are some examples:
- Son las cuatro. It's four o'clock.
- Son las cinco. It's five o'clock.
- Son las seis. It's six o'clock.
- Son las you are. It's seven o 'clock.
- Son las once. It's eleven o'clock.
Step 3. Learn how to indicate whether it is midnight or noon
Midnight and noon are full hours, but you will indicate them using a slightly different method, just like in Italian. Here's how to do it:
- Es mediodía. It is noon.
- Median es. It is midnight.
Step 4. Say what time it is using the hours and minutes
Saying what time it is in Spanish using minutes and hours is a bit more difficult than in Italian. You never need to use a number greater than 29. Here are the two methods you need to know:
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To say what time it is in the first half hour, simply use the correct form of the verb "ser" followed by the hour, followed by "y" (e) and the minute numbers. Here are some examples:
- Son las are y seis. It's six past seven.
- Son las diez y veinte. It's twenty past ten.
- Son las once y diez. It's ten past eleven
- Remember only one exception: if you have to indicate a time that has half an hour, it is not called treinta '' (thirty), but "average" (half). For example: Son las dos y media. " It is half past twelve.
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To say what time it is in the second half hour, you must first say the correct form of "ser", followed by the next hour, followed by "menos" (minus) and the remaining minutes before the next hour. Here are some examples:
- Son las nueve menos cinco. It's five to nine.
- Son las once menos veinte. It's twenty minutes to eleven.
- Es la una menos veinte-cinco. It's half past twelve.
- Son las tres menos cuarto. It's a quarter to three.
Method 2 of 3: Gain additional skills
Tell Time in Spanish Step 5 Step 1. Learn to indicate whether a time is a.m. or p.m
In Spanish, as in Italian, words are used to indicate morning (“mañana”), afternoon (“tarde”) and night or evening (“noche”). Here's how to tell what time it is by specifying whether it is morning, afternoon or evening.
- Es la una de la mañana. It is one in the morning.
- Son las seis de la noche. It's six in the evening.
- Son las cuatro de la tarde. It's four in the afternoon.
Tell Time in Spanish Step 6 Step 2. Learn some other useful phrases
Even after learning exactly how to say what time it is in Spanish, you can still improve by learning a few essential phrases. Here are a few:
- Son las cinco más or menos. It's about five o'clock.
- Es la una en punto. It is one o'clock.
- ¿Qué hora es? What time is it?
Method 3 of 3: Examples
- 6:00 - Son las seis.
- 2:15 - Son las dos y cuarto.
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4:30 - Son las cuatro y media.
Warning: do not confuse cuarto (fourth) with cuatro (four)
- 9:45 am - Son las diez menos cuarto (in Spain).
- 9:45 am - Son las nueve y cuarenta y cinco (in Latin America).
Advice
- It's eleven o'clock in the morning = son las once de la noche.
- You can also make a change. Simply apply the expressions "por la mañana", "a la tarde" or "por la noche". In Spain the preposition "’ "de" "’ is the common form for these expressions:
- 3 in the morning = son las tres de la mañana.
- During a conversation, if someone asks you what time it is, you can simply say the numbers like "nueve veinte", or "nueve y veinte", or "nueve con veinte." It depends from country to country.
- 6 in the evening = son las seis de la tarde.
- Don't let your Spanish teacher or textbook confine the lesson to a tradition that is not relevant to the real world. Learning the concept of time addition and subtraction is fine for the sole purpose of being aware of it, but it is not essential. In Latin America you would confuse people by adding and subtracting minutes. It sounds robotic, as if in Italian I said that you are wearing the "overcoat", instead of the "coat".
- In Latin America, it is unusual to subtract minutes from times between 31 and 59 minutes. It is really very simple. Instead of saying "son las diez menos veinte", you just have to say "son las nueve y cuarenta."
- In Latin America, people sometimes say "Son las cinco y cincuenta y cinco," instead of subtracting the minutes until the next hour.
- In Mexico it is more common to ask ¿Qué horas son ?, but the correct and complete form is actually ¿A qué horas son? However, it is a grammatically incorrect concept, a bit like when we say "Do you know the time?". In Costa Rica and other Latin American countries it is common to hear ¿Qué hora es? Or again, can you hear ¿Qué hora llevas ?, ¿Qué hora tienes?, ¿Tienes (la) hora ?, ¿A qué hora es _ (speaking of an event)?
