Time, Date and Numbers (Junior Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
Time, date and numbers
Overview
Learning to express time, dates and numbers is essential for everyday communication in Spanish. These elements help you arrange meetings, talk about when things happen, and describe quantities. This topic covers the fundamentals of telling time, naming days and months, expressing dates, and using both cardinal and ordinal numbers correctly.
Mastering time and date expressions will significantly improve your ability to make plans, schedule appointments, and discuss when events occur in Spanish-speaking contexts.
Rules & formation
Telling time
Spanish uses a simple pattern for telling time, but understanding the gender agreement is crucial for accuracy.
Key Time-Telling Rules:
The essential rule is knowing when to use singular versus plural forms:
- Use es la + number for 1 o'clock only
- Use son las + number for all other times (2-12 o'clock)
This happens because la hora (hour) is feminine, so you always use la or las.
Time expressions
Spanish has specific phrases for common time expressions that follow logical patterns:
- y cuarto (literally "and a quarter") = quarter past
- y media (literally "and a half") = half past
- menos cuarto (literally "minus a quarter") = quarter to
For distinguishing morning and evening, use these time period indicators:
- de la mañana = in the morning (am)
- de la tarde = in the afternoon/evening (pm until about 8pm)
- de la noche = at night (pm after about 8pm)
Tables of key forms
Days of the week
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| lunes | Monday | All days are masculine |
| martes | Tuesday | |
| miércoles | Wednesday | |
| jueves | Thursday | |
| viernes | Friday | |
| sábado | Saturday | Only plural: los sábados |
| domingo | Sunday | Only plural: los domingos |
Important Gender Rule: All days of the week are masculine in Spanish, which is why you say "el lunes" (not "la lunes").
Months of the year
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| enero | January | julio | July |
| febrero | February | agosto | August |
| marzo | March | septiembre | September |
| abril | April | octubre | October |
| mayo | May | noviembre | November |
| junio | June | diciembre | December |
Seasons
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| la primavera | spring |
| el verano | summer |
| el otoño | autumn |
| el invierno | winter |
Cardinal numbers (0-20)
| Number | Spanish | Number | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | cero | 11 | once |
| 1 | uno/una | 12 | doce |
| 2 | dos | 13 | trece |
| 3 | tres | 14 | catorce |
| 4 | cuatro | 15 | quince |
| 5 | cinco | 16 | dieciséis |
| 6 | seis | 17 | diecisiete |
| 7 | siete | 18 | dieciocho |
| 8 | ocho | 19 | diecinueve |
| 9 | nueve | 20 | veinte |
| 10 | diez |
Ordinal numbers (1st-10th)
| Spanish (masc/fem) | English |
|---|---|
| primero/primera | first |
| segundo/segunda | second |
| tercero/tercera | third |
| cuarto/cuarta | fourth |
| quinto/quinta | fifth |
| sexto/sexta | sixth |
| séptimo/séptima | seventh |
| octavo/octava | eighth |
| noveno/novena | ninth |
| décimo/décima | tenth |
Example sentences
Here are practical examples showing how these concepts work in real conversations and situations:
Time Telling Examples:
- Son las tres y cuarto = It's quarter past three
- Es la una y media = It's half past one
- Son las nueve menos cuarto = It's quarter to nine
- ¿A qué hora vas a la escuela? = What time do you go to school?
- Voy a las nueve de la mañana = I go at 9 in the morning
Days and Dates in Context:
- Hoy es lunes = Today is Monday
- Mi cumpleaños es el cinco de mayo = My birthday is the fifth of May
- ¿Qué día es hoy? = What day is it today?
- Tengo clase los martes = I have class on Tuesdays
- En enero hace frío = In January it's cold
Number Usage:
- Tengo veinte años = I am twenty years old
- Mi hermana es la primera de la clase = My sister is first in the class
- Vivo en el segundo piso = I live on the second floor
Common mistakes & tips
Understanding these common errors will help you avoid the most frequent pitfalls when learning to express time, dates, and numbers in Spanish.
Time-Related Mistakes:
- Don't forget that la hora is feminine - always use la/las, never el/los
- Remember es la una (singular) but son las dos, tres, cuatro... (plural)
Capitalization Errors: Days, months and seasons are NOT capitalised in Spanish unless they start a sentence. Write lunes, not Lunes.
Date Formation Confusion:
- Spanish uses cardinal numbers for dates (dos, tres, cuatro) except for "first" which is primero
- Say el dos de marzo, not el segundo de marzo
Preposition Usage:
- Use en with months and seasons: en enero, en verano
- Use el with specific dates: el cinco de abril
- Don't translate "on" with days: el lunes (not en el lunes)
Number Agreement Rules:
- Ordinal numbers must agree in gender: la primera vez (feminine), el primer día (masculine)
- Uno changes form: un before masculine nouns and una before feminine nouns
Mini practice
Test your understanding with these translation exercises:
Practice Exercises:
Spanish → English:
- Son las cuatro y media de la tarde
- Mi clase de español es los miércoles
- Nací el quince de septiembre
English → Spanish: 4. It's quarter to seven in the morning 5. I have an appointment on Friday 6. Today is the third of December
Answers:
- It's half past four in the afternoon
- My Spanish class is on Wednesdays
- I was born on the fifteenth of September
- Son las siete menos cuarto de la mañana
- Tengo una cita el viernes
- Hoy es el tres de diciembre
Key Points to Remember:
- Time uses es la for one o'clock only, son las for everything else - think "la hora" is feminine
- Days, months and seasons are masculine and never capitalised (except at sentence start)
- Dates use cardinal numbers (dos, tres) except primero for "first"
- En means "in" with months/seasons, el introduces specific dates
- Ordinal numbers must agree in gender with the noun they describe