Master telling time and using clock times in Spanish
Learn days, months, seasons and time-related vocabulary
Understand time prepositions and frequency expressions
Practice scheduling and talking about daily routines
Introduction to Time Expressions
Time expressions are essential for making plans, discussing schedules, and talking about your daily life. Spanish time telling has some unique patterns that are easy to learn once you understand the basic rules. From asking “What time is it?” to scheduling meetings, these expressions will help you navigate time in Spanish-speaking countries.
Telling Time: Basic Structure
Time Type
Structure
Examples
Translation
On the hour
Es la (1:00) / Son las (2:00+)
Es la una / Son las dos
It’s one o’clock / It’s two o’clock
Quarter past
y cuarto
Son las tres y cuarto
It’s three fifteen
Half past
y media
Son las cuatro y media
It’s four thirty
Quarter to
menos cuarto
Son las cinco menos cuarto
It’s four forty-five
Figure 1: Spanish Time Telling: Basic formulas for telling time.
Grammar Explanation:
“Es la” is used only for 1:00 (because “una” is singular)
“Son las” is used for all other hours (2:00 and above, plural)
“y” means “past” (y cuarto = quarter past)
“menos” means “to” (menos cuarto = quarter to)
Specific Times and Minutes
Time
Spanish
English Translation
1:00
Es la una
It’s one o’clock
2:05
Son las dos y cinco
It’s two oh-five / five past two
3:15
Son las tres y cuarto
It’s three fifteen / quarter past three
4:30
Son las cuatro y media
It’s four thirty / half past four
5:45
Son las seis menos cuarto
It’s five forty-five / quarter to six
6:50
Son las siete menos diez
It’s six fifty / ten to seven
7:20
Son las siete y veinte
It’s seven twenty / twenty past seven
8:55
Son las nueve menos cinco
It’s eight fifty-five / five to nine
Figure 2: Spanish Time Telling Examples: Common time expressions.
Asking for the Time:
“¿Qué hora es?” (What time is it?)
“¿Qué horas son?” (What time is it? – less common)
“¿A qué hora…?” (At what time…?)
Days of the Week
Day
Spanish
Monday
lunes
Tuesday
martes
Wednesday
miércoles
Thursday
jueves
Friday
viernes
Saturday
sábado
Sunday
domingo
Figure 3: Days of the Week: Spanish days.
Grammar Rules:
Days are masculine (el lunes, los lunes)
Use “el” for specific days: “el lunes” (on Monday)
Use “los” for repeated actions: “los lunes” (on Mondays)
No capital letters unless starting a sentence
Months and Seasons
Spanish
English
Example Usage
Translation
enero
January
Mi cumpleaños es en enero.
My birthday is in January.
febrero
February
El 14 de febrero es San Valentín.
February 14th is Valentine’s Day.
marzo
March
En marzo empieza la primavera.
Spring begins in March.
abril
April
En abril llueve mucho.
It rains a lot in April.
mayo
May
El Cinco de Mayo es una celebración.
The Fifth of May is a celebration.
junio
June
Junio marca el inicio del verano.
June marks the start of summer.
julio
July
En julio no hay escuela.
There is no school in July.
agosto
August
Hace mucho calor en agosto.
It is very hot in August.
septiembre
September
Las clases empiezan en septiembre.
Classes start in September.
octubre
October
Halloween es el 31 de octubre.
Halloween is on October 31st.
noviembre
November
En noviembre celebramos el Día de Acción de Gracias.
In November we celebrate Thanksgiving.
diciembre
December
La Navidad es el 25 de diciembre.
Christmas is on December 25th.
la primavera
spring
En primavera hace buen tiempo.
The weather is nice in the spring.
el verano
summer
El verano es mi estación favorita.
Summer is my favorite season.
el otoño
fall / autumn
En otoño las hojas caen.
In autumn, the leaves fall.
el invierno
winter
En invierno hace frío y nieva.
In winter, it is cold and it snows.
Figure 4: Spanish Months and Seasons: Complete calendar vocabulary.
Usage Examples:
“en enero” (in January)
“el verano” (the summer)
“en primavera” (in spring)
Time Prepositions
Preposition
Usage
Examples
Translation
a
specific times
a las tres, a la una
at three o’clock, at one o’clock
de
time periods
de la mañana, de la tarde
in the morning, in the afternoon
por
general times
por la mañana, por la noche
in the morning, at night
en
months/seasons
en enero, en verano
in January, in summer
Figure 5: Spanish Time Prepositions: When to use a, de, por, en with time expressions.
Grammar Explanation:
“a” contracts with “el” → “al” but not with time: “a las tres”
“de” indicates time periods: “las ocho de la mañana”
“por” is for general, recurring times
“en” is used with months and seasons only
Frequency Expressions
Frequency
Spanish
Usage
Example
Always
siempre
before verb
Siempre estudio por la mañana
Usually
normalmente
before verb
Normalmente trabajo hasta las cinco
Often
a menudo
flexible
Voy al cine a menudo
Sometimes
a veces
beginning
A veces voy al parque
Never
nunca
before verb or beginning
Nunca como carne / No como nunca carne
Figure 6: Frequency Adverbs: How often things happen.
Time-Related Frequency:
“todos los días” (every day)
“una vez por semana” (once a week)
“dos veces al mes” (twice a month)
“cada año” (each year)
Daily Routine Time Expressions
Time Period
Spanish
Example Sentence
Early morning
temprano por la mañana
Me levanto temprano por la mañana
Morning
por la mañana
Trabajo por la mañana
Afternoon
por la tarde
Estudio por la tarde
Evening/Night
por la noche
Veo televisión por la noche
Noon
al mediodía
Como al mediodía
Midnight
a medianoche
Me acuesto antes de medianoche
Figure 7: Spanish Daily Schedule Vocabulary: Common time phrases for routines.
Common Time Questions and Answers
Making Plans:
“¿A qué hora empieza la película?” (What time does the movie start?)
“¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?” (When is your birthday?)
“¿Qué día es hoy?” (What day is today?)
Giving Responses:
“La reunión es a las diez.” (The meeting is at ten.)
“Mi cumpleaños es el cinco de mayo.” (My birthday is May fifth.)
“Hoy es lunes.” (Today is Monday.)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t confuse “es la” and “son las” – Use “es la” only for 1:00
Don’t capitalize days/months – “lunes” not “Lunes”
Don’t use wrong prepositions – “en enero” not “a enero”
Don’t forget the articles – “el lunes” not “lunes”
Don’t mix up time systems – Spanish uses 1-24 for official time
Quick Reference Summary
Category
Key Rules
Examples
Telling Time
Es la (1:00), Son las (2:00+), y cuarto, y media, menos cuarto
Es la una, Son las dos y media
Days
Masculine, use “el” for specific, “los” for habitual
el lunes, los lunes
Months/Seasons
Use “en”, no capitals
en enero, en verano
Prepositions
a (specific times), de (periods), por (general), en (months)
a las tres, de la tarde
Frequency
Adverbs before verb, phrases flexible
siempre, a veces, todos los días
Figure 8: Spanish Time Expressions Quick Guide: Essential patterns at a glance.
Ready to Practice?
Now that you understand time expressions, it’s time to test your knowledge!
For advanced usage: Complete Time Expressions Guide ►
For exam preparation: DELE A1 Time Guide ►
Remember: Mastering time expressions allows you to schedule, plan, and discuss your daily life in Spanish. Practice these daily, and soon you’ll be talking about time as naturally as in your native language!
