Culturealley.com/spanish : Learn Spanish for free using self-paced audio-visual lessons and interactive practice exercises - CultureAlley - master conversations, grammar, vocabulary and more! This lesson covers asking and telling time in Spanish, phrases like 'What time is it?', 'It's two o clock', 'It's 6 am' and many more.To study this at your own pace, take quizzes and explore more lessons go to www.culturealley.com. See you at the Alley!

1. What time is it?
¿Qué hora es?
Lesson 16 | Learn to express time
It’s two o’clock
Son las dos

3. ¡Hola!
Lesson 17 on Basic Spanish!

4. Number Spanish Number Spanish
1 Uno/a 11 Once
2 Dos 12 Doce
3 Tres 13 Trece
4 Cuatro 14 Catorce
5 Cinco 15 Quince
6 Seis 16 Dieciséis
7 Siete 17 Diecisiete
8 Ocho 18 Dieciocho
9 Nueve 19 Diecinueve
10 Diez
Revision: Basic numbers – 1-19

5. Number Spanish Number Spanish
20 Veinte
1 Uno/a 21 Veintiuno/a
2 Dos 22 Veintidós
3 Tres 23 Veintitrés
4 Cuatro 24 Veinticuatro
5 Cinco 25 Veinticinco
6 Seis 26 Veintiséis
7 Siete 27 Veintisiete
8 Ocho 28 Veintiocho
9 Nueve 29 Veintinueve
Revision: Basic numbers – 20-29

6. Revision: Basic numbers - 30-99
Number Spanish
30 Treinta
40 Cuarenta
50 Cincuenta
60 Sesenta
70 Setenta
80 Ochenta
90 Noventa

7. Number Spanish Number Spanish
1 Uno/a 31 Treinta y uno
2 Dos 42 Cuarenta y dos
3 Tres 53 Cincuenta y tres
4 Cuatro 64 Sesenta y cuatro
5 Cinco 75 Setenta y cinco
6 Seis 86 Ochenta y seis
7 Siete 97 Noventa y siete
8 Ocho 98 Noventa y ocho
9 Nueve 99 Noventa y nueve
Revision: Basic numbers - 30-99

8. 1 Asking and telling time
Lesson objectives

9. Today we will learn how to ask and tell time
in Spanish!
What’s in store today?

10. The time of day

11. Time Hora
The time of day

12. Time is often referred to as ‘Hora’
‘Hora’ also means ‘hour’
Grammar tip

13. Now let's learn how to say 'time of the day'
The time of the day

14. Of = De
The (masculine) = El
Of the = De el = Del (contracted)
When 'De/ of' and 'El/ the' (masc.) come
together, they are contracted or joined
together to form a single word 'Del'
Grammar tip

15. Of = De
The (masculine) = El
Of the = De el = Del (contracted)
Day = Día
Hence,
Of the day = Del día
Grammar tip

16. Time Hora
The time of
the day
La hora del día
Of the = de el = del (contracted)
The time of day

17. Asking time
What time is it?
¿Qué hora es?
'It' = pronoun is omitted

18. ¿Qué hora es?
You may question the use of 'ser' (es) vs. 'estar' in this
expression...
This is an exception to the use of 'ser'
Even though asking and telling time refer to a
temporary situation, we always use 'ser'
Grammar tip

19. Now that you know how to ask what time it
is, let’s learn how to tell what time it is
Telling time

20. The basic way of telling time is to use the singular
form of ser (‘to-be’), which is es, for one o'clock and
the plural form, son, for other times; followed
by feminine form of ‘the’; and then the
number which represents the time
Form of ser + feminine form the + number
Telling time

21. For telling time we always use the feminine
form of the definite article ‘the’
We use singular form ‘la’ with ‘one o’clock’
and plural form ‘las’ with other times
Telling time

22. 1:00
It’s one o’clock
Es la una
Telling time
‘It’ is not translated
Una = one (feminine)

23. 1 o'clock = Es la una
Form of ser (es) + feminine form of the (la)
+ number (una)
Did you get the structure right?

24. 2:00
It’s two o’clock
Son las dos
Telling time
‘It’ is not translated

25. Even though in English we say 'It's one
o'clock' or 'It's two o'clock' in Spanish it
literally translates to 'Is the one' or
'Are the two'
Grammar tip

26. To tell time:
Is/ are (‘es’ or ‘son’) + la/las + number
So remember!

27. Es la = Is the (with singular - i.e. one)
Son las = Are the (with plural)
So remember!

28. Number Spanish
It's 1 o'clock Es la una
It's 2 o'clock Son las dos
Let's revise!

29. To start telling time, you will need to build
your vocabulary and learn
basic numbers
Moving on…

30. Number Spanish
0 Cero
1 Uno/a
2 Dos
3 Tres
4 Cuatro
5 Cinco
6 Seis
7 Siete
8 Ocho
9 Nueve
10 Diez
Basic numbers : 0-10

31. Uno is shortened to ‘un’ when it immediately precedes
a masculine noun
Un and Una are used as indefinite articles
The indefinite article ‘a’ has the masculine form as
‘un’ and feminine form as ‘una’
Eg: Un perro – A (male) dog
Grammar note

32. 1 2 3
4:00
It’s 4 o’clock
Try yourself
Es
la
cuatro
Son
las
cuatro
Son
la
cuatro

33. 1 2 3
4:00
It’s 4 o’clock
Solution
Es
la
cuatro
Son
las
cuatro
Son
la
cuatro

34. 1 2 3
6:00
It’s 6 o’clock
Try yourself
Son
las
cinco
Son
las
seis
Son
las
seite

35. 1 2 3
6:00
It’s 6 o’clock
Solution
Son
las
cinco
Son
las
seis
Son
las
seite

36. The numbers might seem overwhelming
right now, but you will learn
as we practice...
Let’s now try some examples for telling time
along with adding a.m. and p.m.!
Alright, let’s practice

37. a.m. = de la mañana
p.m. = de la tarde / de la noche
De la literally means ‘of the’
de la mañana = of the morning
de la tarde = of the afternoon
de la noche = of the night
A.M. and P.M.

38. Morning is usually till lunch time (~2 P.M.)
Afternoon is counted from lunch time (~2
P.M.) till about 7 P.M. post which one can
start saying ‘de la noche’
Culturally speaking

39. It's 6:00 a.m.
Son las seis de la
mañana
Telling time
Literally : Are the 6 of the
morning

40. It's 7:00 a.m.
Son las siete de
la mañana
Telling time
Literally : Are the 7 of
the morning

41. It's 3:00 p.m.
Son las tres de la
tarde
Telling time
Literally : Are the 3 of the
afternoon

42. It's 8:00 p.m.
Son las ocho de la
noche
Telling time
Literally : Are the 8 of the night

43. Number Spanish
It’s 1 a.m. Es la una de la manaña
It’s 2 p.m. Son las dos de la tarde
It's 8 p.m. Son las dos de la noche
Let's revise!

44. Now we know how to tell time, but what if
we have to say 'it is 2:15'
or 'it is 3:45'?
We will need to learn more numbers so we
can talk about minutes as well
If you understand numbers from 0-29, rest
can all be derived from them
Moving on…

45. While telling time in English, we often say:
2:15 =15 mins past two – this is called after the hour,
as some minutes have passed after two
3:45 = 15 mins to four – this is called before the hour,
as there are some minutes to four
Before and after the hour

46. In Spanish, we will follow the same pattern
For after the hour : we will use the particle ‘y’
(meaning : and)
For before the hour : we will use the particle ‘menos’
(meaning : minus/ less)
Before and after the hour

47. If we use the pattern of after and before the
hour, we basically only need to know
numbers from 0-29, so let’s look at the
remaining numbers
Before and after the hour

48. Number Spanish
11 Once
12 Doce
13 Trece
14 Catorce
15 Quince
16 Dieciséis
17 Diecisiete
18 Dieciocho
19 Diecinueve
Basic numbers – 11-19

49. Number Spanish
20 Viente
21 Veintiuno/a
22 Veintidós
23 Veintitrés
24 Veinticuatro
25 Veinticinco
26 Veintiséis
27 Veintisiete
28 Veintiocho
29 Veintinueve
Basic numbers – 20-29

50. Let’s try 2:15
It literally means ‘two and 15’
Telling time

51. 2:15
It’s 2:15
Son las dos y
quince
Telling time
15 = Quince
Literally ‘(It) is the two
and fifteen’

52. 15 is also equal to ‘one fourth’ or ‘quarter’
of an hour
Quarter = Cuarto
Hence, 2:15 is more commonly translated as
2:15 = son las dos y cuarto
Meaning ‘(it) is the two and quarter’
Grammar tip

53. son las dos y cuarto
Please note that
Quarter = Cuarto
(notice the similarity of spellings)
while
Four = Cuatro
Grammar tip

54. For time after the hour, we use ‘y’
If you want to additionally say a.m. and
p.m. you may add de la manaña or de la
tarde/noche after telling the time
Do you remember?

55. 2:15
It’s 2:15 a.m.
Son las dos y
cuarto de la
manaña
Telling time
15 = Quince
Literally ‘(It) is the two and
fifteen of the morning’

56. 1:25
It’s 1:25
Es la una y
veinticinco
Telling time
25 = Veinticinco
Literally : ‘(It) is the one and 25’

57. 1:30
It’s 1:30
Es la una y
media
Telling time
Literally, 30 = Tienta
But we used media as 30 is the
middle of the hour

58. Now let’s try ‘At 1:30’
Moving on…

59. 1:30
At 1:30
A la una y media
Telling time
At = A
We used media as 30 is the
middle of the hour

60. 1 2 3
3:20
It’s 3:20
Try yourself
Son las
tres y
viente
Son las
tres
viente
Es la
tres y
viente

61. 1 2 3
3:20
It’s 3:20
Solution
Son las
tres y
viente
Son las
tres
viente
Es la
tres y
viente

62. 1 2 3
4:30
It’s 4:30
Try yourself
Son las
tres y
media
Son las
cuatro y
media
Son las
cuatro y
cuarto

63. 1 2 3
4:30
It’s 4:30
Solution
Son las
tres y
media
Son las
cuatro y
media
Son las
cuatro y
cuarto

64. 1 2 3
At 4:30
Try yourself
Son las
tres y
media
Son las
cuatro y
media
A las
cuatro y
media

65. 1 2 3
At 4:30
Solution
Son las
tres y
media
Son las
cuatro y
media
A las
cuatro y
media

66. At = A And = Y (used for after the hour)
Eg: 3:20 = 3 and 20
So remember!

67. To indicate half hour, we use media We use
cuarto to indicate quarter hour
30 = Media
15 = Cuarto
Do you remember?

68. Alright, now let’s try time before the hour
Eg: 3:45 = 4 minus 15
We use the particle ‘menos’ meaning
‘minus/less’
Moving on…

69. Even though you say ‘It is 10 until 1’ if you
were to say ‘12:50’ while translating to
Spanish, it will read as:
Es la una menos diez
(Is the one minus 10)
And not
Es la diez menos una
Grammar tip

70. 4:45
It's 4:45
Son las cinco
menos cuarto
Telling time
Literally : (It) is the 5 minus 15

71. 3:45
It's 3:45
Son las cuatro
menos cuarto
Telling time
Literally : (It) is the 4 minus 15

72. Son las cuatro menos cuarto
Four = Cuatro
while
Quarter = Cuarto
3:45 = (It) is the 4 minus 15
Do you remember?

73. 3:50
It's 3:50
Son las cuatro
menos diez
Telling time
Literally : (It) is the 4 minus 10

74. 3:55
It's 3:55
Son las cuatro
menos cinco
Telling time
Literally : (It) is the 4 minus 5

75. 1 2 3
It's 1:45
Try yourself
Son las
cuatro
menos una
Son las dos
menos
cuarto
Es la
una y
cuarto

76. 1 2 3
It's 1:45
Solution
It's 1:45
Son las
cuatro
menos una
Son las dos
menos
cuarto
Es la
una y
cuarto

77. 1 2 3
It's 1:15
Try yourself
Son las
cuatro y
una
Son las
una menos
cuarto
Es la
una y
cuarto

78. 1 2 3
It's 1:15
Solution
Son las
cuatro y
una
Son las
una menos
cuarto
Es la
una y
cuarto

79. 1 2 3
It's 2:10
Try yourself
Son las
diez
y dos
Son las
dos
menos deiz
Son las
dos
y diez

80. 1 2 3
It's 2:10
Solution
Son las
diez
y dos
Son las
dos
menos deiz
Son las
dos
y diez

81. 1 2 3
It's 2:50
Try yourself
Son las
diez
menos tres
Son las
tres
y deiz
Son las
tres
menos diez

82. 1 2 3
It's 2:50
Solution
Son las
diez
menos tres
Son las
tres
y deiz
Son las
tres
menos diez

83. 1 2 3
What time is it?
Try yourself
¿Qué
hora
es?
¿Qué
hora
son?
¿Qué
horas
son?

84. 1 2 3
What time is it?
Solution
¿Qué
hora
es?
¿Qué
hora
son?
¿Qué
horas
son?

85. 1 2 3
a.m.
Try yourself
De la
manaña
De la
tarde
De la
noche

86. 1 2 3
a.m.
Solution
De la
manaña
De la
tarde
De la
noche

87. 1 2 3
It's 6:05 p.m.
Try yourself
Son las
seis y
cinco de
tarde
Son las
seis y
cinco de
manaña
Son las
cinco y
seis
de tarde

88. 1 2 3
It's 6:05 p.m.
Solution
Son las
seis y
cinco de
tarde
Son las
seis y
cinco de
manaña
Son las
cinco y
seis
de tarde

89. Number Spanish
It's 1 o'clock Es la una
It’s 1 a.m. Es la una de la manaña
It’s 2 p.m. Son las dos de la tarde
It’s 9 p.m. Son las nueve de la noche
At 1:30 De la una y media
It’s 2:15 Son las dos y cuarto
It’s 4:45 Son las cinco menos cuarto
Revision : Telling time

90. Culture Leaf

91. Formal situations
In Spain & Spanish speaking areas in South America
people are generally quite punctual if they are
meeting for a formal event but one can expect slight
delays even in meetings
Culture leaf : Punctuality!

92. Informal situations
However, for informal gathering or parties arriving
~30 mins late is perfectly accepted
In-fact most guests would typically arrive late
Culture leaf : Punctuality!

93. La Hora Nica (Nicaragua Time) is a very
interesting thing, if someone tells you a dinner is to
begin at 7PM they really mean 'not before then'
There’s an expression common in Nicaragua:
Hay más tiempo que vida
=
There’s more time than life
So why hurry? :)
Culture leaf : Punctuality!

94. In the next lesson, we will learn
about days and dates!
What’s next?

95. Content
Team CultureAlley, Okairy Zuñiga, Tomasa Merino
Credits

96. See you at the Alley!

97. Lesson 18 | Day and Date!