Video:How to Tell Time in Spanish

Transcript:How to Tell Time in Spanish

Hola, I'm Milo for About.com and today we're talking about telling time in Spanish. Once you can say the first few numbers in Spanish this will be easy.

Half Hour and Quarter Hour Vocabulary in Spanish

However there are a couple differences between Spanish and English. To say the half hour in English we say thirty -- never in Spanish. What might be 5:30 in Spanish becomes cinco y media. You literally say half.

For the quarter hours you can say 15 or 45. So 5:15 is cinco y quince or 5:45 is cinco y cuarenta y cinco. But you can also use, and it is easier, quarter -- cuarto. Cinco y cuarto (5:15) or sies menos cuarto (5:45).

Use Menos to Tell Time in Spanish

One of the differences in telling time in Spanish is the use of menos. In English were you would say "It is ten before six," or more normally, 5:50, in Spanish you would say, "Son las sies menos diez."

Using menos for the later half of the hour is important as it is used much more in Spanish than in English. You would be understood if you simply said the time in numbers, but to understand others, you should practice this. You will also sound more like a native.

Also in Spanish, unless it is 1 o'clock, say "son las" and the time. If it is 1:00, you say "es la una" and then the minutes.

In English where you say the time directly, 5:12, in Spanish you must always say "and." Son las cinco y doce.

Conversation Examples Using Time in Spanish

Here are some examples in common usage:

Normalmente me levanto a las siete. Normally I get up at 7.

Son las diez y diez. It's 10:10.

Vamos a comer a la una y media. Let's have lunch at 1:30

Son las cinco y veinte. It's 5:20

Son las ocho menos veinte. It's 7:40.

Son las ocho y cinco. It is 8:05.

Voy al cine a las cinco menos cuarto. I'm going to the movies at 4:45.

Es la una y cuarto. It's 1:15.

For more information on time expressions in Spanish, check us out at About.com.