What Time Is It?
Spanish: KS3, topic 3.1.5
¿Qué hora es? - What Time Is It?
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on What Time Is It?
How do you say 'it is twenty to 6' in Spanish?
How do you say 'it is one o'clock' in Spanish?