How to Tell the Time in Spanish (Complete Guide)

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Knowing how to tell the time in Spanish comes in handy for everything from meeting friends to reading train timetables, and the way people write or describe a time can vary across Spanish-speaking countries.

Before you make plans, make sure you understand exactly what time something starts. I’m here to help with the language and add some useful cultural context along the way.

In this article, I’ll teach you the following phrases and more:

• ¿Qué hora es? (“What time is it?”)
• Es la una/Son las… (“It’s … o’clock.”)
• Es la una y media. (“It’s 1:30.”)
• Son las diez de la mañana. (“It’s 10:00 am.”)
• Son las once de la noche. (“It’s 11:00 pm.”)
• Como a la una. (“I eat at 1:00.”)
• ¿A qué hora te acuestas? (“What time do you go to bed?”)

And just a quick bit about me before we get stuck in: I’m a globe-trotting American who has spent most of my adult life overseas. I’m a language teacher and writer, and I’ve spent over 5 years studying Spanish.

Let’s get started!

If you want a clear structure for putting your Spanish into practice, take a look at the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp. It’s a 90-day programme with weekly coaching calls, a private community and a focus on speaking from day one.

The Basics of Telling Time in Spanish: What to Know First

First, let’s do a little prep so we can tell the time clearly in Spanish.

If Spanish numbers still need a quick refresher, this video covers 0 to 100 before we start using them to tell the time.

If you know how to count from 1 to 59, you’ll be able to master how to say the time in Spanish. (And if you haven’t done so yet, check out our article all about counting in Spanish!) But if you’re not quite there yet, you can say a lot by just learning 1 through 12 for now.

We will also be using the verb “to be” (ser) in Spanish. We have more details about it in our article about Spanish irregular verbs, but what you need to know is this: in the present tense, we’ll use es (“[it] is”) and son (“[they] are”). Why? I’ll explain that next!

How to Ask and Answer “What Time Is It?” in Spanish

The most common way to ask for the time in Spanish is by asking ¿Qué hora es?, which means, “What time is it?” Simple! Now let’s look at how to answer this question.

How to Answer ¿Qué hora es?: “What Time Is It?”

Now, to answer “What time is it” in Spanish, we will start our sentence with either es or son. How do you know which one to use?

Easy! If it’s in the one o’clock range, you use the singular es. If it’s two o’clock or later, you use the plural son.

Then we add la (in the case of “one o’clock”) or las (for “two o’clock or later) plus the number.

So in other words:

• “It’s one o’clock” = Es la una.
• “It’s two o’clock” = Son las dos.
• “It’s three o’clock” = Son las tres.
• “It’s four o’clock” = Son las cuatro.
• “It’s five o’clock” = Son las cinco.
• “It’s six o’clock” = Son las seis.
• “It’s seven o’clock” = Son las siete.
• “It’s eight o’clock” = Son las ocho.
• “It’s nine o’clock” = Son las nueve.
• “It’s ten o’clock” = Son las diez.
• “It’s eleven o’clock” = Son las once.
• “It’s twelve o’clock” = Son las doce.

In Spanish, people often add a time-of-day phrase when using the 12-hour clock, although the abbreviations “a. m.” and “p. m.” are also used. The boundaries follow daylight and local usage rather than one fixed timetable:

• de la mañana = “in the morning,” from the start of the day until midday.
• de la tarde = “in the afternoon,” from midday until it gets dark.
• de la noche = “at night,” from nightfall until midnight.
• de la madrugada = “in the early hours,” from midnight until dawn.

For example, to say “It’s ten o’clock am,” you would say Son las diez de la mañana. To say “It’s eleven o’clock pm,” you would say Son las once de la noche. And if your ex calls you to tell you they miss you at one am? ¡Es la una de la madrugada!

By the way, Spanish also has words for “noon” or “midday” (mediodía) and “midnight” (medianoche).

Spanish also uses the 24-hour clock, which American readers might know as “military time.” You’ll see it most often in timetables, schedules and other formal writing, and I’ll go into more detail below.

Specific Times and Time Expressions in Spanish

Okay, so we’ve covered the basic hours, but how do you say specific times in Spanish? After all, time isn’t always spot on the hour!

For a straightforward reading, just add y and the number of minutes. For example, 6:05 is las seis y cinco, while 12:25 is las doce y veinticinco.

The exact phrasing varies by region, but y is a safe general choice when you’re learning. The patterns below also cover cuarto, media, menos and para.

Now, when the time hits 15-minute increments, things often change a bit:

• If it’s a “quarter past” the hour (in other words, 15 minutes past), use the phrase y cuarto. This means “and a quarter.” So 4:15 would be las cuatro y cuarto. (I know, it’s a bit of a tongue twister!)
• If it’s “half past” the hour (in other words, 30 minutes past) use the phrase y media. This means “and half.” So 1:30 would be la una y media.
• For “quarter to” the next hour, Spain commonly uses the upcoming hour with menos cuarto, so 6:45 is las siete menos cuarto. Across much of Latin America, you’ll also hear un cuarto para las siete.

You can also say y quince for :15 and y treinta for :30, although y cuarto and y media are especially common. For :45, use menos cuarto in Spain or un cuarto para across much of Latin America.

Also, you can use menos flexibly with other expressions, too. For example, for 9:55, you can say las diez menos cinco.

By the way, here are a couple more useful phrases to be more specific about the time:

• en punto = “exactly,” “on the dot,” or “sharp” (Son las tres en punto = “It’s 3:00 exactly.”)
• más o menos = “more or less,” “about” (Es la una y cuarto, más o menos = “It’s about 1:15.”)
• y pico = “just after” or “just past” (Son las once y pico = “It’s just after 11:00.”) Note this is a very colloquial phrase.

Saying When Things Happen in Spanish

Okay, so we’ve covered how to read the clock. And so what about when you want to talk about what time certain things happen? For example, how do you say, “I eat at 1:00”?

In this case, just add a (“at”) and the time with the article la or las. So in this sentence, you would say, Como a la una.

Here’s an example of a big lunch you might eat in Spain!

This works for questions too. To ask “What time do you go to bed?”, use ¿A qué hora te acuestas? with someone you address informally, or ¿A qué hora se acuesta? with someone you address as usted. The literal structure is “At what time do you go to bed?”

After an exact clock time, use de with the part of the day: Trabajamos a las tres de la madrugada means “We work at 3:00 am.” When you mean that part of the day more generally, use por: Trabajamos por la madrugada means “We work in the early hours.”

Why, When, and How to Use the 24-Hour Clock in Spanish

The 24-hour clock is especially common in written or formal Spanish, including official documents, schedules, timetables and transport announcements. Readers from the United States may find it unfamiliar, but it will be familiar to many British and European readers.

Spoken conversation more often uses the 12-hour clock, while the 24-hour system is usually written with digits. If you do read it aloud, the hour runs from 0 to 23:

• 13:00 = Son las trece. (1:00 pm)
• 14:00 = Son las catorce. (2:00 pm)
• 15:00 = Son las quince. (3:00 pm)
• 16:00 = Son las dieciséis. (4:00 pm)
• 17:00 = Son las diecisiete. (5:00 pm)
• 18:00 = Son las dieciocho. (6:00 pm)
• 19:00 = Son las diecinueve. (7:00 pm)
• 20:00 = Son las veinte. (8:00 pm)
• 21:00 = Son las veintiuna. (9:00 pm)
• 22:00 = Son las veintidós. (10:00 pm)
• 23:00 = Son las veintitrés. (11:00 pm)

Midnight is normally written as 00:00 when it starts a new day. You may see 24:00 when a schedule treats midnight as the end of the previous day, so 24:00 on one date and 00:00 on the next name the same instant.

For example, look at the Renfe timetable when you book a train from Madrid to Toledo (a wonderful day trip, by the way!), and you’ll see the 24-hour clock in use.

So when you buy your Spanish train ticket, make sure you’re careful. If not, you might accidentally end up at the station thinking you leave at 3:00 instead of 13:00!

Understanding Ser and the Grammar in Spanish Time

Two useful grammar points are worth noticing when you use ser to tell the time in Spanish.

First, ¿Qué hora es? stays singular because hora is singular: the question literally asks “What hour is it?” In the answer, es goes with singular la una, while son goes with plural las dos, las tres and so on.

Second, the familiar shortcut “ser is permanent and estar is temporary” isn’t a reliable rule. Telling the time simply uses ser, so learn ¿Qué hora es?, Es la una and Son las dos as a set of standard patterns.

If you’d like to explore the distinction in more depth, our guide explains when to use ser and estar.

Spanish Time and Cultural Differences

There isn’t one timetable for the whole Spanish-speaking world, because expectations vary by country, region, city and situation. Think of the examples below as context, not a rule for everyone.

Punctuality Depends on the Setting

A dinner with friends may be more flexible than a medical appointment, class or business meeting. If timing matters, confirm the start time and arrive punctually unless your host tells you otherwise.

Transport runs to its own timetable too, so if you have a train to catch, make sure you’re on time!

Meal Times Vary by Country

Meal times vary widely across the Spanish-speaking world. Spain is known for later lunches and dinners than the US or UK, with dinner sometimes starting at 9:00 or 10:00 pm, but you shouldn’t assume that schedule is standard in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia or anywhere else.

One parent I met in Argentina told me her children stayed up until midnight and ate dinner at 10:00 pm. That was her family’s schedule, though, not a rule for the whole country.

I also met a friend in Spain who found the split working day frustrating. When local businesses closed in the middle of the day, he couldn’t run errands, and a later lunch could push the end of the working day later too. This pattern exists in some places and jobs, but it isn’t a rule for Spain, let alone every Spanish-speaking country.

Telling Spanish Time Like a Pro!

With these patterns and a few common words, you can ask about times, read a timetable and make plans. Try describing when you wake up, eat and meet friends, then check that you use es for one o’clock and son for the other hours.

If you’d like a structured beginner project to go alongside that practice, take a look at Language Hacking Spanish. Have fun, and hasta luego (see you later)!