Telling the Time (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Telling the time
Learning to tell the time is one of the most practical skills you'll develop in Spanish. Whether you're asking when the bus arrives or making plans with friends, knowing how to express time accurately will help you navigate daily conversations with confidence.
Asking what time it is
When you want to know the time in Spanish, you use a simple question that you'll hear constantly in Spanish-speaking countries. The standard way to ask is ¿Qué hora es?, which directly translates to "What time is it?" This phrase uses the feminine noun hora (hour), and you'll notice that Spanish speakers use this same question in both formal and informal situations.
The question ¿Qué hora es? remains the same whether you're speaking to a friend, a colleague, or a stranger. Spanish doesn't require different levels of formality for this basic time-related question, making it one of the most universally useful phrases you'll learn.
Basic time expressions - on the hour
Spanish has a unique pattern for telling time that differs from English. When expressing time on the hour, you need to pay attention to whether it's 1 o'clock or any other hour, as this determines whether you use singular or plural forms.
For 1 o'clock, you say Es la una (It's one o'clock). Notice how this uses the singular form "Es la" because you're referring to just one hour. You can add en punto after "una" to emphasise that it's exactly on the hour.
For all other hours from 2 to 12, you use the plural form Son las followed by the number. For example, Son las dos (It's two o'clock), Son las siete (It's seven o'clock). This plural form reflects that you're talking about multiple hours in the counting system.
The key distinction to remember is:
- 1 o'clock: Es la una (singular)
- 2-12 o'clock: Son las + number (plural)
This grammatical rule is fundamental to telling time correctly in Spanish.
Spanish also distinguishes between different parts of the day more specifically than English. You might hear:
- de la mañana (in the morning),
- de la tarde (in the afternoon/early evening),
- de la noche (at night), or
- de la madrugada (in the early morning/dawn).
Time expressions - minutes past the hour
When the minute hand has moved past 12 on the clock face, Spanish uses the word y (and) to connect the hour with the minutes. This system works similarly to English when we say "quarter past" or "half past."
The pattern follows: Son las + hour + y + minutes. Common expressions include:
- y cinco (five past),
- y diez (ten past),
- y cuarto (quarter past),
- y veinte (twenty past),
- y veinticinco (twenty-five past), and
- y media (half past).
The word cuarto (quarter) represents 15 minutes, whilst media (half) represents 30 minutes. These terms are used instead of saying "quince" or "treinta" when telling time, making the expressions flow more naturally in conversation.
Worked Example: Minutes Past the Hour
Let's say it's 3:15 PM:
- Step 1: Identify it's past the hour (15 minutes past 3)
- Step 2: Use the pattern "Son las + hour + y + minutes"
- Step 3: For 15 minutes, use "cuarto" instead of "quince"
- Result: Son las tres y cuarto de la tarde
Time expressions - minutes to the hour
When the time is closer to the next hour than the current one, Spanish speakers use menos (minus/less) to express minutes before the hour. This system might feel different from English "minutes to" expressions, but it follows a logical mathematical approach.
The pattern is: Son las + next hour + menos + minutes. For example, if it's 6:55, you would say Son las siete menos cinco (It's five to seven). Similarly, 6:45 becomes Son las siete menos cuarto (It's quarter to seven).
This "menos" system is used when the time is closer to the next hour, typically from 31 minutes past the current hour onwards. However, some Spanish speakers prefer to use this system only for common intervals like menos cuarto, menos diez, or menos cinco.
Think of "menos" as subtraction: if it's 7:00 minus 5 minutes, that gives you 6:55. This mathematical logic can help you remember when to use "menos" instead of "y".
Key vocabulary
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la hora | the hour |
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? |
| Es la una | It's one o'clock |
| Son las... | It's... o'clock (2-12) |
| en punto | o'clock (exactly) |
| y | past (and) |
| menos | to (minus) |
| el cuarto | quarter (15 minutes) |
| media | half (30 minutes) |
| la mañana | the morning |
| la tarde | the afternoon/evening |
| la noche | the night |
| la madrugada | the early morning/dawn |
Example sentences
Time Expression Examples
Son las tres y cuarto de la tarde. It's quarter past three in the afternoon.
Es la una y media de la mañana. It's half past one in the morning.
Son las ocho menos diez de la noche. It's ten to eight at night.
Son las cinco y veinte de la madrugada. It's twenty past five in the early morning.
Grammar note: Remember that Es is used only with "la una" (one o'clock), whilst Son is used with all other hours. The articles "la" and "las" must agree with whether you're talking about one hour or multiple hours.
Common errors and fixes
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
-
Error: Es las dos → Fix: Son las dos
Reason: Use "Son" (plural) with any hour except one. -
Error: Son la una → Fix: Es la una
Reason: Use "Es" (singular) only with one o'clock. -
Error: Son las tres y media → Fix: Son las tres y media (correct)
Note: "Media" doesn't change to agree with "las" - it remains "media". -
Error: Que hora es? → Fix: ¿Qué hora es?
Reason: Don't forget the opening question mark and accent on "Qué".
Translation practice
Practice Exercises
Spanish to English:
- Son las seis y cuarto de la mañana.
- Es la una menos cinco de la tarde.
English to Spanish: 3. It's half past nine at night. 4. It's twenty to four in the afternoon.
Answers:
- It's quarter past six in the morning.
- It's five to one in the afternoon.
- Son las nueve y media de la noche.
- Son las cuatro menos veinte de la tarde.
Remember!
Key Points to Remember:
- Use Es la una for one o'clock and Son las for all other hours
- Add y plus minutes for times past the hour (y cinco, y cuarto, y media)
- Use menos plus minutes for times approaching the next hour
- Cuarto means quarter (15 minutes) and media means half (30 minutes)
- Different parts of the day have specific terms: mañana, tarde, noche, madrugada