Recursio
Lesson 23. What time is it?
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
es la una / son las dos; y media, y cuarto, menos cuarto
Es la una, son las dos
Spanish tells time with ser and a feminine article; the word la hora is understood.
- Es la una — “It’s one o’clock”: one hour, so singular.
- Son las dos, son las tres… — every other hour is plural.
The question is ¿Qué hora es?
Minutes: y and menos
| Time | In Spanish |
|---|---|
| 3:00 | Son las tres en punto. |
| 3:15 | Son las tres y cuarto. |
| 3:30 | Son las tres y media. |
| 3:45 | Son las cuatro menos cuarto. |
| 3:10 | Son las tres y diez. |
| 3:50 | Son las cuatro menos diez. |
One common pattern is to add minutes up to half past with y (“past”), then subtract them from the next hour with menos (“to”): las cuatro menos cuarto — “quarter to four.” The pattern matches English past and to.
You can also add minutes after half past: Son las tres y cuarenta y cinco also means 3:45. This lesson’s exercises practise the pattern with menos.
At what time?
¿A qué hora…? — “At what time…?” The answer is a la / a las + time: a la una, a las nueve, a las diez en punto. ¿A qué hora es la clase? — the time of an event takes ser, like the place of an event in lesson 13.
Al mediodía — “at noon,” a la medianoche — “at midnight.”
Temprano and tarde
Temprano — “early,” tarde — “late.” Llego tarde — “I’m late.” Lesson 24 brings la tarde with an article: “the afternoon.”
Schedules in Spain often use the 24-hour clock: 21:00. In conversation people usually say las nueve.
In some countries in the Americas, you may hear ¿Qué horas son?. This course practises the widely used form ¿Qué hora es?.
¿Qué hora es? — Es la una. — What time is it? — It's one o'clock.
Son las dos y media. — It's half past two.
Son las ocho y cuarto. — It's quarter past eight.
Son las cinco menos cuarto. — It's quarter to five.
¿A qué hora es la clase? — A las diez en punto. — What time is the class? — At ten o'clock sharp.
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Nora Javier, ¿qué hora es? Javier, what time is it?
Javier Son las nueve menos cuarto. It's quarter to nine.
Nora Tengo clase a las nueve. ¡Llego tarde! I have class at nine. I'm going to be late!
Javier Es temprano. El metro está cerca. It's still early. The metro is close.
Nora ¿Y tú? ¿A qué hora trabajas hoy? And you? What time do you work today?
Javier A las doce, al mediodía. At twelve, at noon.
Nora ¿Y a qué hora llegas a casa? And what time do you get home?
Javier A la medianoche. At midnight.
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you ask “What time is it?”
2. It's 1:00. How do you say it?
3. It's 2:30. How do you say it?
4. How do you ask “What time is the class?”
Match each word with its translation
Build the sentence: “It's half past two”
Build the question: “What time is the class?”
What you can do now
- Ask the time: ¿Qué hora es?
- Tell the time: Es la una. Son las dos y media.
- Ask and say at what time: ¿A qué hora es la clase? — A las diez.
- Say early and late: temprano, tarde
Key phrases of the lesson:
¿Qué hora es?
Son las dos y media.
¿A qué hora es la clase?
Day 23 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 24. Days and months →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.