Telling Time in Spanish: A Comprehensive Guide
Telling Time in Spanish: A Comprehensive Guide
When you're learning Spanish, one of the most practical skills you can acquire is telling time. Whether you're making plans with friends, scheduling a meeting, or catching a bus, you'll need to know how to express time accurately.
Asking for the Time
First things first, to ask what time it is in Spanish, we use the phrase "¿Qué hora es?" which translates directly to "What time is it?"
Expressing the Hour
When it comes to expressing time in Spanish, the structure differs slightly from English. If it's one o'clock, we say "Es la una". Notice that we use the singular form because it's one hour.
However, for any other hour, we use "Son las" followed by the number of the hour. So:
Two o'clock is "Son las dos"
Three o'clock is "Son las tres"
Four o'clock is "Son las cuatro", and so on.
Adding Minutes
If you want to express minutes past the hour, you use "y" (which means "and") followed by the number of minutes. For example, "Son las dos y cinco" means "It's five past two".
Quarter and Half Past
For quarter past the hour, we say "y cuarto". So, "Son las tres y cuarto" translates to "It's quarter past three".
When we reach the half-hour mark, we say "y media". Therefore, "Son las cuatro y media" translates to "It's half past four".
Quarter to the Hour
To express a quarter to the hour, we use "menos cuarto". For example, "Son las cinco menos cuarto" means "It's a quarter to five".
The 24-Hour Format
It's important to note that in many Spanish-speaking countries, it's more common to express time in a 24-hour format, especially for official schedules like bus or train departures. So, 15:00 would be "Son las quince", 18:30 would be "Son las dieciocho y treinta", and so on.
Concluding Remarks
And there you have it! You're now equipped to tell time in Spanish. Telling time is a fundamental aspect of daily communication. By practicing these phrases, you'll be well on your way to navigating your daily schedule like a native Spanish speaker. Remember, as with all language learning, regular practice is key. ¡Hasta luego!
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