Telling Time in Spanish: Complete Guide with Examples [2026]
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Key Takeaways
- Es la una for 1 o’clock; Son las + number for all other hours.
- Minutes past the hour use y; minutes before the hour use menos.
- Use de la manana / tarde / noche instead of AM/PM for clarity.
- Half past = y media; quarter past = y cuarto; quarter to = menos cuarto.
- To ask the time: “Que hora es?” To say at what time: “A las [hora]”.
Telling time in Spanish is one of the first practical skills every learner needs. Whether you are catching a bus in Mexico City, making a dinner reservation in Madrid, or scheduling a meeting with Spanish-speaking colleagues, knowing how to read and express time is essential for everyday life.
The good news: once you learn two core rules – Es la una for one o’clock and Son las… for everything else – the system is remarkably consistent. This guide walks you through every aspect of Spanish time-telling, from basic hours to advanced time expressions, with dozens of examples along the way.
This topic connects closely with our Spanish for beginners guide and the foundational vocabulary in our common Spanish phrases guide.
The Basic Formula: Es la / Son las
In Spanish, “it is” in the context of time uses either es (singular, for 1 o’clock) or son (plural, for all other hours). This is because you are technically saying “it is the one [hour]” or “they are the two [hours].”
For 1:00 only
Es la una
It is one o’clock
For 2:00 – 12:00
Son las dos
It is two o’clock
Telling the Hours 1-12
| Time | Spanish | Pronunciation Guide |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Es la una | ess lah OO-nah |
| 2:00 | Son las dos | sohn lahs dohs |
| 3:00 | Son las tres | sohn lahs trehs |
| 4:00 | Son las cuatro | sohn lahs KWAH-troh |
| 5:00 | Son las cinco | sohn lahs SEEN-koh |
| 6:00 | Son las seis | sohn lahs sayss |
| 7:00 | Son las siete | sohn lahs see-EH-teh |
| 8:00 | Son las ocho | sohn lahs OH-choh |
| 9:00 | Son las nueve | sohn lahs NWEH-veh |
| 10:00 | Son las diez | sohn lahs dee-EHZ |
| 11:00 | Son las once | sohn lahs OHN-seh |
| 12:00 | Son las doce | sohn lahs DOH-seh |
Adding Minutes: Y, Menos, y Cuarto, y Media
Once you know the hours, adding minutes uses two key words: y (and/past) and menos (minus/to). The convention in traditional Spanish is to say minutes past the hour up to 30, then switch to counting down to the next hour.
Minutes past the hour (1-30)
Son las [hour] y [minutes]
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- 3:15 – Son las tres y quince
- 5:30 – Son las cinco y treinta
- 8:20 – Son las ocho y veinte
Minutes to the hour (31-59)
Son las [next hour] menos [minutes]
- 2:45 – Son las tres menos cuarto
- 7:50 – Son las ocho menos diez
- 11:40 – Son las doce menos veinte
Special Time Expressions
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| y cuarto | quarter past (:15) | Son las dos y cuarto (2:15) |
| y media | half past (:30) | Son las cinco y media (5:30) |
| menos cuarto | quarter to (:45) | Son las ocho menos cuarto (7:45) |
| en punto | exactly / on the dot | Son las diez en punto (exactly 10:00) |
| y pico | a little past / just after | Son las tres y pico (~3:05-3:15) |
AM and PM in Spanish
Spanish does not use AM/PM abbreviations in everyday speech. Instead, Spanish speakers specify the part of the day after the time using de la:
| Spanish Phrase | English | Time Range |
|---|---|---|
| de la manana | in the morning (AM) | midnight to noon |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon (PM) | noon to ~8 PM |
| de la noche | at night | ~8 PM to midnight |
Example: Son las tres de la tarde = It is 3 PM. | Es la una de la manana = It is 1 AM.
Special cases: el mediodia (noon) and la medianoche (midnight) are used without es/son las. Just say: Es mediodia or Es medianoche.
How to Ask for and Give the Time
| Spanish | English | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Que hora es? | What time is it? | Most common question |
| Tiene hora? | Do you have the time? | Polite, formal |
| A que hora…? | At what time…? | Asking about schedule |
| A las [hora] | At [time] | Giving a scheduled time |
Example dialogue:
“A que hora empieza la clase?” – What time does the class start?
“Empieza a las nueve y media de la manana.” – It starts at 9:30 in the morning.
24-Hour (Military) Time
The 24-hour clock is commonly used in Spain, Latin America, and anywhere schedules are posted formally (train stations, airports, hospitals, TV guides). The structure is simpler – just say the number directly:
- 14:00 – Son las catorce horas (or just “las catorce”)
- 18:30 – Son las dieciocho y treinta
- 21:45 – Son las veintiuno cuarenta y cinco
In formal contexts: El vuelo sale a las veinte horas – The flight leaves at 20:00 (8 PM).
Essential Time Expressions
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ahora | now | ahora mismo | right now |
| pronto | soon | tarde | late |
| temprano | early | a tiempo | on time |
| en seguida | right away | un momento | one moment |
| hace [time] | [time] ago | dentro de [time] | in [time] (future) |
Talking About Schedules and Appointments
To say something happens at a specific time, use “a las” (or “a la” for 1 o’clock):
- La reunion es a las diez. – The meeting is at ten.
- Llega a la una y media. – He arrives at 1:30.
- El restaurante cierra a las once de la noche. – The restaurant closes at 11 PM.
For schedules and timetables, see also our 500 most common Spanish words, which includes the core time and schedule vocabulary used in everyday speech.
Practice: What Time Is It?
Write these times in Spanish:
- 7:15 AM
- 12:00 (noon)
- 3:45 PM
- 10:30 PM
- 1:00 exactly
Answers: 1. Son las siete y cuarto de la manana | 2. Es mediodia | 3. Son las cuatro menos cuarto de la tarde | 4. Son las diez y media de la noche | 5. Es la una en punto
Frequently Asked Questions
Never Be Late for Your Spanish Conversations
Time vocabulary is just the beginning. Combine it with these resources:
- Common Spanish phrases for beginners – daily conversation starters
- Spanish for beginners complete guide – the full roadmap
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Written by Carlos Rivera
Carlos is a Spanish language educator and linguist with 10+ years of experience teaching conversational Spanish across Mexico, Colombia, and the United States. He specializes in practical, real-world Spanish for learners at all levels.
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