Telling the Time in Spanish: Complete Guide with Examples

Last Updated on June 12, 2026 by I Love Spanish Club

Knowing how to tell time in Spanish is one of the most practical skills you can learn — you’ll use it to make plans, catch a bus, set up meetings, and avoid showing up late (or way too early!) to anything. In this guide you’ll learn exactly how to ask and tell the time in Spanish, with all the structures, example sentences, and common expressions you need. ¡Vamos a ver qué hora es!

🕐 How Do You Ask “What Time Is It?” in Spanish?

Before you can answer this question, you’ll want to make sure you know your Spanish numbers — they’re essential for telling time!

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1️⃣ Saying “It’s One O’Clock” — Es la una

For 1:00 (and only 1:00), Spanish uses es la una — singular, because “una” (one) is singular.

Es la una.	It’s one o’clock.
Es la una de la tarde.	It’s one o’clock in the afternoon.

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2️⃣ Saying “It’s Two O’Clock” and Beyond — Son las…

For every other hour (2 through 12), use son las — plural, because all other numbers are plural in this context.

Time	Spanish	English
2:00	Son las dos.	It’s two o’clock.
3:00	Son las tres.	It’s three o’clock.
4:00	Son las cuatro.	It’s four o’clock.
5:00	Son las cinco.	It’s five o’clock.
6:00	Son las seis.	It’s six o’clock.
7:00	Son las siete.	It’s seven o’clock.
8:00	Son las ocho.	It’s eight o’clock.
9:00	Son las nueve.	It’s nine o’clock.
10:00	Son las diez.	It’s ten o’clock.
11:00	Son las once.	It’s eleven o’clock.
12:00	Son las doce.	It’s twelve o’clock.

💡 Easy rule: 1:00 → es la una (singular). Everything else → son las + number (plural). That’s it!

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⏱️ Telling Time with Minutes — Y / Menos

To add minutes, Spanish uses y (and) for the first half hour, and either menos (minus) or faltan…para (it’s missing… to) for the second half hour. Let’s break it down using 2:00 as our example hour:

Time	Spanish	English
2:05	Son las dos y cinco.	It’s five past two.
2:10	Son las dos y diez.	It’s ten past two.
2:15	Son las dos y cuarto.	It’s a quarter past two.
2:20	Son las dos y veinte.	It’s twenty past two.
2:30	Son las dos y media.	It’s half past two.
2:40	Son las tres menos veinte.	It’s twenty to three.
2:45	Son las tres menos cuarto.	It’s a quarter to three.
2:50	Son las tres menos diez.	It’s ten to three.
2:55	Son las tres menos cinco.	It’s five to three.

💡 Two ways to say “to” the hour: Son las tres menos cuarto (it’s a quarter to three) OR Falta un cuarto para las tres (a quarter is missing until three) — both are correct and commonly used! The faltan…para structure is especially common in Latin America.

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🌅 Morning, Afternoon, Night — AM/PM in Spanish

Spanish doesn’t typically use AM/PM — instead, it adds de la mañana, de la tarde, or de la noche to clarify.

Spanish	English	Roughly
de la mañana	in the morning / AM	12am – 12pm
de la tarde	in the afternoon / PM	12pm – 7pm
de la noche	at night / PM	7pm – 12am

Son las ocho de la mañana.	It’s eight in the morning. (8am)
Son las tres de la tarde.	It’s three in the afternoon. (3pm)
Son las diez de la noche.	It’s ten at night. (10pm)

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🕐 The 24-Hour Clock

For schedules, transportation, and official contexts, Spanish-speaking countries commonly use the 24-hour clock (military time). This avoids any AM/PM ambiguity entirely.

El tren sale a las 14:30.	The train leaves at 2:30 PM. (14:30)
La reunión es a las 9:00.	The meeting is at 9:00 AM.

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💬 Real Conversation Examples

Telling time comes up in nearly every conversation — making plans, catching transportation, scheduling. A native tutor on Italki can practice making real plans with you in Spanish, which is the fastest way to make these time expressions feel automatic.

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📌 Essential Time Phrases

¿A qué hora…?	At what time…?
A las ocho.	At eight o’clock.
¿Tiene hora? / ¿Tienes hora?	Do you have the time?
Llego a tiempo / temprano / tarde.	I arrive on time / early / late.
en punto	exactly / on the dot / o’clock
aproximadamente	approximately
alrededor de las…	around… (time)

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⚠️ Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

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✏️ Practice Exercise

Write these times in Spanish:

1. 1:00 PM
2. 3:15
3. 6:30
4. 9:45
5. 11:50 PM

✅ Show Answers

1. Es la una de la tarde.
2. Son las tres y cuarto.
3. Son las seis y media.
4. Son las diez menos cuarto.
5. Son las doce menos diez de la noche.

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Spanish use “es” for 1:00 but “son” for everything else?
Because la una (one o’clock) is grammatically singular, so it pairs with es (is). All other numbers — las dos, las tres, etc. — are plural, so they pair with son (are). Literally: “It is one” vs “They are two/three/four…”

What’s the difference between “menos cuarto” and “falta un cuarto”?
Both mean “a quarter to” the hour and are completely interchangeable. Son las tres menos cuarto and Falta un cuarto para las tres both mean 2:45. The faltan/falta…para structure is heard more in Latin America, while menos is universal.

Do Spanish speakers use AM/PM?
Not typically in everyday speech — instead they say de la mañana, de la tarde, or de la noche. However, for written schedules (transportation, TV guides, official documents), the 24-hour clock is extremely common — so “2:30 PM” often appears as “14:30”. Getting comfortable with both styles is something a tutor on LingoPie can help with — watching real Spanish TV schedules and shows will expose you naturally to both formats.

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📚 Practice More

• 👉 Spanish Numbers — Practice & Complete Guide
• 👉 Months and Days of the Week in Spanish
• 👉 Colors in Spanish

Escucha y escribe la hora en números