2.2.5

What Time Is It?

Test yourself

¿Qué hora es? - What Time Is It?

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Es or Son

  • There are only three times when you use 'es' for talking about time
  • Midday, midnight and one o'clock are all singular.
    • Es la una - it is one o'clock.
    • Es el mediodía - it is midday.
    • Es la medianoche - it is midnight.
  • For all other times, you use 'son'.
    • Son las tres - it is three o'clock.
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Past

  • To say it is 'something past' you need to use 'y'.
  • 'Y' means 'and', so you are literally saying that is is, for example, 'two' and 'twenty minutes'.
    • Son las cuatro y media - It is half past four.
    • Son las ocho y cuarto - It is quarter past eight.
    • Son las cuatro y veinte - it is twenty past four.
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To

  • To say it is 'something to' you need to use the word 'menos'.
  • It is like saying the hour minus however many minutes.
    • Es la una menos cinco - It is 5 to one.
    • Son las dos menos cuarto - it is quarter to two.
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At ... o'clock

  • To say 'at something o'clock' you need to use 'a'.
    • A las once - At 11 o'clock.
    • A la medianoche - At midnight.

Jump to other topics

1Phonics/Alphabet/Spellings

2You, Family & Home

3School & Jobs

4Town, Shopping, Food, Drink

5Free Time

6Holiday

7The World Around Us

8Present Tense

9Past Tense

10Future Tense

11Conditional

12Grammar

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