Introduction
This beginner guide explains the basic Spanish time words you will use every day: hours, minutes, parts of the day, days of the week, and simple phrases for schedules and appointments. Learn practical vocabulary, short example sentences, common mistakes, and quick tips so you can read signs, tell the time, and ask about schedules in everyday situations.
- Why learn Spanish time words first?
- Essential vocabulary: hours, minutes, and markers
- How to say the hour (12-hour system)
- Saying minutes by subtraction with menos
- Quarters and halves
- 24-hour time and using numbers
- Adding morning/afternoon/night for clarity
- Asking and answering about time
- Practical phrases for schedules, appointments, and messages
- Days of the week and frequency words
- Common mistakes and quick corrections
- Practice exercises for beginners
- Tips for remembering and practicing
- Short dialogues you might hear or use
- Useful mini-glossary
- How to move beyond basics
- Conclusion
Why learn Spanish time words first?
Time words are among the most useful vocabulary for beginners because they appear in schedules, messages, appointments, menus, and casual conversation. Knowing time words helps you manage travel, work, school, and social plans. This guide focuses on Latin American Spanish vocabulary and simple patterns that beginners can apply right away.
Essential vocabulary: hours, minutes, and markers
Basic words for telling time
hora — hour
minuto — minute
segundo — second
reloj — clock, watch
Parts of the day
mañana — morning (also means tomorrow in some contexts)
tarde — afternoon, evening
noche — night
mediodía — noon
medianoche — midnight
Common time markers
en punto — exactly, on the dot
y — and (used to add minutes, for example dos y diez = 2:10)
menos — minus (used to subtract minutes, for example tres menos cuarto = 2:45)
cuarto — quarter (15 minutes)
media — half (30 minutes; media hora means half an hour)
How to say the hour (12-hour system)
Structure: Use son las for hours except for 1 o’clock, which uses es la una.
Examples:
Es la una.
Son las dos.
Son las ocho.
Include minutes with y
Say the hour, then y, then the number of minutes.
Examples:
Son las tres y diez. (3:10)
Es la una y cinco. (1:05)
Use en punto for exact hours
Son las cinco en punto. (5:00 exactly)
Saying minutes by subtraction with menos
Use menos to say minutes before the next hour
Examples:
Son las cuatro menos cinco. (3:55)
Son las nueve menos cuarto. (8:45)
Quarters and halves
Common short forms beginners should memorize
Son las seis y cuarto. (6:15)
Son las seis y media. (6:30)
Son las siete menos cuarto. (6:45)
24-hour time and using numbers
When reading timetables or digital formats: Many schedules use the 24-hour system; beginners can often translate directly by subtracting 12 for afternoon times above 12:00.
Examples:
13:00 becomes la una de la tarde.
20:30 becomes las ocho y treinta de la noche or las ocho y media de la noche.
Adding morning/afternoon/night for clarity
Use de la mañana / de la tarde / de la noche to specify time of day. This is important because Spanish commonly uses the 12-hour clock in speech.
Examples:
Es la una de la tarde. (1:00 PM)
Son las diez de la noche. (10:00 PM)
Son las siete de la mañana. (7:00 AM)
Asking and answering about time
Useful question forms
¿Qué hora es? — What time is it?
¿A qué hora…? — At what time…?
¿A qué hora abre la tienda? — At what time does the store open?
Short answers:
Es la una. — It’s 1:00.
Son las dos y media. — It’s 2:30.
A las tres. — At three o’clock.
Practical phrases for schedules, appointments, and messages
Common phrases you will see on signs, forms, or messages
Horario: schedule, hours of operation
Abierto: open
Cerrado: closed
Apertura: opening
Cierre: closing
Por favor llegue a las ocho. — Please arrive at eight.
Reunión a las cuatro de la tarde. — Meeting at four in the afternoon.
Scheduling and confirming plans
¿Nos reunimos a las siete? — Shall we meet at seven?
Sí, a las siete en punto. — Yes, at seven on the dot.
¿Te va bien a las cinco? — Is five okay for you?
No puedo a las tres, tengo clase. — I can’t at three, I have class.
Days of the week and frequency words
Days
lunes
martes
miércoles
jueves
viernes
sábado
domingo
Frequency words
hoy — today
mañana — tomorrow (also morning)
ayer — yesterday
esta semana — this week
todos los días — every day
cada semana — every week
Practical examples:
Tengo cita el lunes a las diez. — I have an appointment on Monday at ten.
Trabajo de lunes a viernes. — I work from Monday to Friday.
Nos vemos mañana por la tarde. — See you tomorrow afternoon.
Common mistakes and quick corrections
Beginner pitfalls to avoid
1. Confusing y and menos: Remember that y adds minutes after the hour, while menos subtracts minutes from the next hour. Example: Son las cinco y diez = 5:10. Son las seis menos veinte = 5:40.
2. Omitting de la mañana/tarde/noche when context is unclear: If you say Son las nueve, a listener might not know AM or PM. Add de la mañana/tarde/noche when needed.
3. Using es la for hours other than one: Only use Es la una for 1:00. For other hours use Son las.
4. Using media incorrectly: media follows the hour: Son las dos y media = 2:30; do not say media las dos.
Practice exercises for beginners
Exercise 1: Write the Spanish time
1) 7:15 — Son las siete y cuarto.
2) 12:00 noon — Es el mediodía or Son las doce del mediodía.
3) 11:45 — Son las doce menos cuarto.
Exercise 2: Translate short schedules
El autobús sale a las siete y media de la mañana. — The bus leaves at 7:30 AM.
La iglesia abre a las nueve en punto. — The church opens at 9:00 exactly.
Exercise 3: Make short questions and answers
Q: ¿A qué hora empieza la clase? A: Empieza a las ocho y cuarto.
Q: ¿Cuándo nos vemos? A: Nos vemos mañana a las cinco de la tarde.
Tips for remembering and practicing
Daily micro-practice: Check the time on your phone and say it out loud in Spanish. Start with simple hours and add minutes as you improve.
Label daily items: Put sticky notes with times for routines, like desayuno a las ocho, almuerzo a la una.
Use real-life contexts: Read bus and train timetables, restaurant opening hours, or event schedules and translate them into Spanish.
Short dialogues you might hear or use
En la estación:
Persona A: ¿A qué hora llega el tren? Persona B: Llega a las seis y veinte.
En el trabajo:
Persona A: ¿A qué hora es la reunión? Persona B: Es a las tres de la tarde.
En el restaurante:
Cliente: ¿A qué hora abren? Empleado: Abrimos a las nueve en punto.
Useful mini-glossary
hora — hour
minuto — minute
en punto — exactly
mañana — morning or tomorrow
tarde — afternoon/evening
noche — night
día — day
semana — week
How to move beyond basics
Next steps for learners
Once you are comfortable with basic time phrases, practice telling time from analog clocks, read 24-hour timetables, and learn idiomatic expressions that use time, such as dentro de (in), antes de (before), después de (after). Example: La película empieza dentro de diez minutos. — The movie starts in ten minutes.
Conclusion
Mastering everyday Spanish time words gives you immediate practical benefits: reading schedules, setting appointments, and understanding messages. Start with hours, learn y and menos for minutes, add de la mañana/tarde/noche when needed, and practice short phrases you will use in real life. These steps make time-related Spanish clear, useful, and ready for everyday situations.
