Telling the Time (Leaving Cert Spanish): Revision Notes
How to tell the time in Spanish
Learning to express time in Spanish is fundamental for everyday conversations. The structure differs slightly from English, so understanding the key patterns will help you speak more naturally.
Basic question and structure
The question "What time is it?" translates to ¿Qué hora es? The answer depends on whether you're talking about one o'clock or any other time.
For one o'clock, Spanish uses the singular form: Es la una (It is one). For all other hours, use the plural form: Son las + number (They are + number). This reflects that Spanish speakers think of times as "the hours" rather than just "time".
This grammatical distinction is unique to Spanish. English speakers often struggle with this concept because we think of "time" as singular, but Spanish treats hours as plural entities - literally "the hours are..."
Times on the hour
When expressing exact hours (on the dot), add en punto after the time. This is equivalent to saying "o'clock" in English.
Examples of times on the hour:
- Es la una en punto - It's one o'clock
- Son las tres en punto - It's three o'clock
- Son las ocho en punto - It's eight o'clock
Time periods of the day
Spanish distinguishes between different parts of the day more specifically than English. These expressions come after the hour:
| Spanish | English | Time period |
|---|---|---|
| de la madrugada | in the early morning | 1:00 - 6:00 AM |
| de la mañana | in the morning | 6:00 AM - 12:00 PM |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon/evening | 12:00 - 8:00 PM |
| de la noche | at night | 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM |
Example sentences using time periods:
- Son las cinco de la mañana - It's five in the morning
- Son las dos de la tarde - It's two in the afternoon
- Es la una de la madrugada - It's one in the early morning
- Son las nueve de la noche - It's nine at night
Grammar note: Notice how "es la una" remains singular even when adding time periods, whilst all other hours use "son las".
Minutes past the hour
For times past the hour, use y (and) followed by the minutes. Spanish has specific words for quarter and half past.
| Spanish | English | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| y cinco | five past | 5 |
| y diez | ten past | 10 |
| y cuarto | quarter past | 15 |
| y veinte | twenty past | 20 |
| y veinticinco | twenty-five past | 25 |
| y media | half past | 30 |
Example sentences with minutes past:
- Son las tres y cuarto - It's quarter past three
- Son las seis y media - It's half past six
- Son las diez y cinco - It's five past ten
- Es la una y veinte - It's twenty past one
Grammar note: The word "cuarto" means "quarter" and contains the same letters as "quarter" in English, just rearranged.
Minutes to the hour
For times approaching the next hour, use menos (minus/less) followed by the minutes. You state the upcoming hour, then subtract the minutes.
| Spanish | English | Minutes to go |
|---|---|---|
| menos cinco | five to | 5 |
| menos diez | ten to | 10 |
| menos cuarto | quarter to | 15 |
| menos veinte | twenty to | 20 |
| menos veinticinco | twenty-five to | 25 |
Example sentences with minutes to:
- Son las siete menos cuarto - It's quarter to seven (6:45)
- Son las cinco menos diez - It's ten to five (4:50)
- Son las doce menos cinco - It's five to twelve (11:55)
- Son las dos menos veinte - It's twenty to two (1:40)
Grammar note: When using "menos", you always refer to the next hour. So "las siete menos cuarto" literally means "seven minus a quarter", which equals 6:45.
Translation exercises
Practice Exercises:
Spanish to English:
- Son las cuatro y media de la tarde
- Es la una menos diez de la madrugada
English to Spanish: 3. It's quarter past eight in the morning 4. It's five to eleven at night
Common errors and fixes
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
-
Using "son" with "una" - Remember: "Es la una" (singular), not "Son la una"
Fix: One is always singular in Spanish -
Confusing "cuarto" and "cuatro" - "Cuarto" = quarter (15 mins), "Cuatro" = four
Fix: "Cuarto" has the same u-a-r-t-o letters as "quarter" -
Wrong time period - "Son las dos de la noche" for 2 PM
Fix: 2 PM = "de la tarde", 2 AM = "de la madrugada" -
Missing accents - Writing "veinte" without the accent
Fix: "veinticinco" and "veinte" need their proper spelling
Phrase bank for exams
Useful time expressions:
- ¿A qué hora...? - At what time...?
- A las... en punto - At... o'clock
- Desde las... hasta las... - From... until...
- Son aproximadamente las... - It's approximately...
- ¿Tienes la hora? - Do you have the time?
Key Points to Remember:
- Use es la una for one o'clock, son las for all other times
- Add en punto for exact hours (o'clock)
- Use y for minutes past the hour, menos for minutes to the hour
- Cuarto = quarter (15 minutes), media = half (30 minutes)
- Time periods help specify morning, afternoon, evening, or night
Translation Answers:
- It's half past four in the afternoon
- It's ten to one in the early morning
- Son las ocho y cuarto de la mañana
- Son las once menos cinco de la noche