Spanish Time and Dates: DELE A1 Complete Guide
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Want to practice first? Try a General Time and Dates Quiz!
Key Takeaways
- Learn telling time in Spanish (son las, es la)
- Master days of week, months, and seasons
- Understand date formats and expressions
- Learn time-related prepositions and phrases
- Essential for DELE A1 scheduling and daily conversations
Welcome to your complete guide to Spanish time and dates, essential for scheduling, making appointments, and discussing daily routines on the DELE A1 exam. This vocabulary is crucial for real-life situations tested in all exam sections.
Telling Time Basics
Time Expressions Structure
| Spanish | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? | Asking for time |
| Es la una | It’s one o’clock | Only for 1:00 |
| Son las dos | It’s two o’clock | For 2:00 through 12:00 |
| y media | and half | 2:30 – Son las dos y media |
| y cuarto | and quarter | 3:15 – Son las tres y cuarto |
| menos cuarto | quarter to | 2:45 – Son las tres menos cuarto |
DELE A1 Tip: Use “es la” only for 1:00. For all other hours, use “son las.” This is essential for exam accuracy.
Days of the Week
Complete Days Vocabulary
| Spanish | English | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| lunes | Monday | El lunes voy al trabajo |
| martes | Tuesday | El martes estudio español |
| miércoles | Wednesday | El miércoles voy al gimnasio |
| jueves | Thursday | El jueves visito a mi familia |
| viernes | Friday | El viernes salgo con amigos |
| sábado | Saturday | El sábado descanso |
| domingo | Sunday | El domingo veo películas |
Important Notes:
- Days are masculine: el lunes, los lunes
- Not capitalized unless starting a sentence
- Los fines de semana (on weekends)
Months and Seasons
Months of the Year
| Spanish | English | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| enero | January | julio | July |
| febrero | February | agosto | August |
| marzo | March | septiembre | September |
| abril | April | octubre | October |
| mayo | May | noviembre | November |
| junio | June | diciembre | December |
Seasons
- la primavera (spring)
- el verano (summer)
- el otoño (autumn/fall)
- el invierno (winter)
Date Formats
Saying Dates Correctly
- Hoy es lunes (Today is Monday)
- Hoy es 25 de mayo (Today is May 25th)
- Nací el 10 de enero (I was born on January 10th)
- Es 5 de julio (It’s July 5th)
Important Rules:
- Use el before dates: el 5 de mayo
- Months are not capitalized
- Day comes before month
Time Prepositions and Phrases
Essential Time Expressions
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| por la mañana | in the morning | Estudio por la mañana |
| por la tarde | in the afternoon | Trabajo por la tarde |
| por la noche | at night | Duermo por la noche |
| a las | at (time) | A las ocho voy al trabajo |
| de la mañana | in the morning | a las ocho de la mañana |
| de la tarde | in the afternoon | a las tres de la tarde |
| de la noche | in the evening | a las nueve de la noche |
DELE A1 Exam Practice
Speaking Section Examples
- Tell time: “Son las tres y media“
- Discuss schedules: “El lunes voy al médico a las diez“
- Talk about routines: “Por la mañana estudio español”
- Make appointments: “¿Podemos vernos el viernes?”
Writing Section Examples
- Write about your weekly schedule
- Describe your daily routine with times
- Write an email making an appointment
- Describe your favorite season and why
Common Time Questions
DELE A1 Time Questions
- ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
- ¿Qué día es hoy? (What day is today?)
- ¿Qué fecha es hoy? (What’s today’s date?)
- ¿A qué hora? (At what time?)
- ¿Cuándo? (When?)
Numbers Review for Time
Essential Time Numbers
- 1:00 – la una
- 2:00 – las dos
- 12:00 – las doce
- 1:15 – la una y cuarto
- 2:30 – las dos y media
- 3:45 – las cuatro menos cuarto
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Wrong time structure: ❌ “es las dos” ✅ “son las dos”
- Capitalizing days/months: ❌ “Lunes” ✅ “lunes“
- Wrong preposition: ❌ “en la mañana” ✅ “por la mañana“
Next Step: Test Your Knowledge!
Ready to check your understanding of Spanish time and dates?
Take our DELE A1 Spanish Time and Dates Quiz here to confirm you’re ready for this part of the exam.
What’s Next in Your DELE A1 Journey?
- Ready for daily routines? Study Spanish Daily Routine Vocabulary
- Need weather expressions? Review Spanish Weather Vocabulary
- Practice all A1 vocabulary? Take a Full A1 Vocabulary Test
Good luck with your DELE A1 preparation!
