A1 Spanish grammar
Telling Time in Spanish: Hours, Minutes, and Schedules
Telling time in Spanish uses es la with one o'clock and son las with every other hour. Add y for minutes after the hour, menos for minutes before it, and a la or a las for schedules.
Start telling time in Spanish with es la or son las
One is singular, so say Es la una. Other hours are plural: Son las dos.
Es la una y cuarto.Quick check
Choose the Spanish translation.
It is one o'clock.
Add minutes with y or menos
Use y for minutes after and menos for minutes before the next hour.
Son las ocho menos cuarto.State schedules with a la or a las
Use a la una but a las dos, tres, and so on.
La clase empieza a las nueve.Build the sentence
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Translate into Spanish
It is one o'clock.
Choose the grammatical form that matches the English sentence.
Common mistakes
Son la una.
Es la una.
One o'clock is singular.
La clase es las nueve.
La clase es a las nueve.
A schedule needs a las.
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Telling time FAQ
How do you say one o'clock?
Say Es la una.
How do you say half past?
Use y media, as in Son las tres y media.
How do you say quarter to?
Use menos cuarto with the next hour.
What is the difference between son las and a las?
Son las tells the current time; a las says when something happens.