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 “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.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.
Continue learning
Daily-routine verbsUse common Spanish daily routine verbs such as levantarse, ducharse, vestirse, and acostarse in short sentences.Ir a + infinitiveUse ir a plus an infinitive to talk about plans and actions that are going to happen.Essential Spanish vocabularyReview numbers and useful schedule words.Make plans in SpanishUse times in guided speaking prompts.