Telling Time in Spanish: Complete Guide with Examples [2026]

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February 20, 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]

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

Why is it “Es la una” but “Son las dos”?

Because the verb agrees with the number. “La una” is singular (one hour), so the verb is singular: es. All other hours are plural (dos, tres, etc.), so the verb is plural: son. This is the single most common mistake beginners make when telling time in Spanish.

Can I just say the numbers for time, like in English (“It’s 3:15”)?

In informal modern Spanish, especially among younger generations and in digital contexts, saying “son las tres quince” (using quince instead of y cuarto) is becoming common and is perfectly understood. However, for formal situations and to sound natural to all Spanish speakers, learning the traditional y/menos system is essential.

What is the difference between “tarde” and “de la tarde”?

“Tarde” as an adjective/adverb means “late” (Llego tarde – He arrived late). “De la tarde” means “in the afternoon” and is used when specifying PM time (Son las cuatro de la tarde – It is 4 PM). They are different words that happen to look similar.

How do Spanish-speaking countries handle time zones?

Spain spans two time zones (mainland Spain and the Canary Islands). Latin America spans a wide range of time zones from Mexico (UTC-6 to UTC-8) to Argentina (UTC-3). When scheduling international calls with Spanish speakers, always confirm the time zone explicitly: “A las 3 de la tarde, hora de Ciudad de Mexico” (At 3 PM, Mexico City time).

How do I say “half an hour ago” or “in two hours” in Spanish?

Use “hace” for past time and “dentro de” for future time: Llego hace media hora (He arrived half an hour ago), La pelicula empieza dentro de dos horas (The movie starts in two hours). For “an hour ago” specifically: hace una hora.

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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Telling Time in Spanish: Complete Guide with Examples [2026]

Key Takeaways