Learn how to tell the time in Spanish.
The 24-hour clock is widely used in Spanish, although the 12-hour clock is also common, particularly in less formal situations.
Asking the time
| ¿qué hora es? | what's the time? |
| ¿me podría decir la hora, por favor? | could you tell me the time, please? |
| ¿tiene usted hora? | do you have the time? |
| ¿sabe usted qué hora es? | do you know what time it is? |
Telling the time
| es ... | it's ... (the singular form, used when the hour part of the time is one o’clock, as well as at noon and midnight) |
| son ... | it's ... (the plural form, used for all other times) |
| exactamente ... | exactly ... |
| aproximadamente ... | about ... |
| casi ... | almost ... |
| justo ... pasada | just gone ... (when the hour part of the time is one o’clock) |
| justo ... pasadas | just gone ... (used at all other times) |
| la una en punto | one o'clock |
| las dos en punto | two o'clock |
| la una y cuarto | quarter past one |
| las dos y cuarto | quarter past two |
| la una y media | half past one |
| las dos y media | half past two |
| las dos menos cuarto | quarter to two |
| las tres menos cuarto | quarter to three |
| la una y cinco | five past one |
| la una y diez | ten past one |
| la una y veinte | twenty past one |
| la una y veinticinco | twenty-five past one |
| Spanish phrase guide | |
|---|---|
| Page 6 of 15 | |
|
➔
Time expressions |
The weather
➔ |
| las dos menos cinco | five to two |
| las dos menos diez | ten to two |
| las dos menos veinte | twenty to two |
| las dos menos veinticinco | twenty-five to two |
| las diez y cuarto | ten fifteen |
| las diez y media | ten thirty |
| las diez y cuarenta y cinco | ten forty-five |
| las diez de la mañana | ten am |
| las seis de la tarde | six pm |
| mediodía | noon |
| medianoche | midnight |
It's also possible to state the time in Spanish by saying the hour followed by the minutes, followed by “de la mañana” or “de la tarde” if necessary, eg:
| 11:32 de la mañana | 11.32am |
| 2:17 de la tarde | 2.17pm |
Clocks
| mi reloj está ... | my watch is ... |
| adelantado | fast |
| atrasado | slow |
| ese reloj está un poco ... | that clock's a little ... |
| adelantado | fast |
| atrasado | slow |
| Spanish phrase guide | |
|---|---|
| Page 6 of 15 | |
|
➔
Time expressions |
The weather
➔ |
Sound is available for all the Spanish phrases on this page — simply click on any phrase to hear it.
Support our work
Help us to improve this site by becoming a supporter on Patreon. Benefits include the removal of all ads from the site and access to the Speak Languages Discord channel.