Learning how to describe time and dates in Spanish is an essential skill for any language learner. Whether you’re making plans, scheduling meetings, or simply talking about your day, understanding how to articulate time and dates can significantly enhance your communication skills. In this article, we’ll delve into various vocabulary and phrases that will help you master this aspect of the Spanish language.
Basic Vocabulary for Telling Time
Before diving into more complex concepts, it’s important to familiarize yourself with some basic vocabulary related to telling time in Spanish.
1. **La hora** – The time
2. **El reloj** – The clock/watch
3. **Minuto** – Minute
4. **Segundo** – Second
5. **Media** – Half
6. **Cuarto** – Quarter
Numbers and Time
Knowing numbers is crucial when telling time. Here are the numbers from 1 to 12, as they are most commonly used when discussing hours.
1. Uno
2. Dos
3. Tres
4. Cuatro
5. Cinco
6. Seis
7. Siete
8. Ocho
9. Nueve
10. Diez
11. Once
12. Doce
How to Ask for the Time
To ask for the time in Spanish, you can use the following phrases:
1. **¿Qué hora es?** – What time is it?
2. **¿Tienes la hora?** – Do you have the time?
Telling the Time
When telling the time, use the verb **”ser”** (to be) in its third person singular form **”es”** for 1 o’clock and in its plural form **”son”** for all other times.
1. **Es la una** – It’s 1:00
2. **Son las dos** – It’s 2:00
3. **Son las tres** – It’s 3:00
4. **Son las cuatro** – It’s 4:00
5. **Son las cinco** – It’s 5:00
6. **Son las seis** – It’s 6:00
7. **Son las siete** – It’s 7:00
8. **Son las ocho** – It’s 8:00
9. **Son las nueve** – It’s 9:00
10. **Son las diez** – It’s 10:00
11. **Son las once** – It’s 11:00
12. **Son las doce** – It’s 12:00
Minutes Past the Hour
When specifying the minutes past the hour, simply add “y” followed by the number of minutes.
1. **Es la una y cinco** – It’s 1:05
2. **Son las dos y diez** – It’s 2:10
3. **Son las tres y cuarto** – It’s 3:15 (quarter past three)
4. **Son las cuatro y veinte** – It’s 4:20
5. **Son las cinco y veinticinco** – It’s 5:25
6. **Son las seis y media** – It’s 6:30 (half past six)
Minutes to the Hour
When indicating the minutes to the next hour, use “menos” followed by the number of minutes.
1. **Es la una menos cinco** – It’s 12:55
2. **Son las dos menos diez** – It’s 1:50
3. **Son las tres menos cuarto** – It’s 2:45 (quarter to three)
4. **Son las cuatro menos veinte** – It’s 3:40
5. **Son las cinco menos veinticinco** – It’s 4:35
AM and PM
In Spanish, AM and PM can be specified using the following expressions:
1. **De la mañana** – In the morning
2. **De la tarde** – In the afternoon/evening (up to about 8 PM)
3. **De la noche** – At night (after about 8 PM)
Examples:
1. **Son las tres de la mañana** – It’s 3:00 AM
2. **Son las cinco de la tarde** – It’s 5:00 PM
3. **Son las nueve de la noche** – It’s 9:00 PM
Discussing Dates
Understanding how to express dates in Spanish is also vital. This includes knowing the days of the week, months of the year, and how to structure a full date.
Days of the Week
1. **Lunes** – Monday
2. **Martes** – Tuesday
3. **Miércoles** – Wednesday
4. **Jueves** – Thursday
5. **Viernes** – Friday
6. **Sábado** – Saturday
7. **Domingo** – Sunday
Months of the Year
1. **Enero** – January
2. **Febrero** – February
3. **Marzo** – March
4. **Abril** – April
5. **Mayo** – May
6. **Junio** – June
7. **Julio** – July
8. **Agosto** – August
9. **Septiembre** – September
10. **Octubre** – October
11. **Noviembre** – November
12. **Diciembre** – December
How to Ask for the Date
To ask for the date, use the following phrases:
1. **¿Qué fecha es hoy?** – What is today’s date?
2. **¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?** – What is today’s date?
How to Express Dates
When expressing dates, the structure is usually **day + “de” + month + “de” + year**. Note that days and months are not capitalized in Spanish unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.
1. **Hoy es el primero de enero de 2023** – Today is the first of January, 2023
2. **Mi cumpleaños es el veinte de marzo** – My birthday is on the 20th of March
For the first day of the month, use “primero” instead of “uno”.
Days of the Month
Here are the numbers from 1 to 31 in Spanish:
1. Primero
2. Dos
3. Tres
4. Cuatro
5. Cinco
6. Seis
7. Siete
8. Ocho
9. Nueve
10. Diez
11. Once
12. Doce
13. Trece
14. Catorce
15. Quince
16. Dieciséis
17. Diecisiete
18. Dieciocho
19. Diecinueve
20. Veinte
21. Veintiuno
22. Veintidós
23. Veintitrés
24. Veinticuatro
25. Veinticinco
26. Veintiséis
27. Veintisiete
28. Veintiocho
29. Veintinueve
30. Treinta
31. Treinta y uno
Talking About Specific Times and Dates
When discussing specific times and dates, you can use prepositions such as “a”, “de”, “desde”, and “hasta”.
1. **A las tres** – At three o’clock
2. **Desde las ocho hasta las nueve** – From eight to nine
3. **El martes a las cinco** – On Tuesday at five
Expressions for General Time References
1. **Temprano** – Early
2. **Tarde** – Late
3. **A tiempo** – On time
4. **Antes** – Before
5. **Después** – After
6. **Pronto** – Soon
7. **Tarde o temprano** – Sooner or later
Common Phrases and Questions
Here are some common phrases and questions that include time and dates:
1. **¿A qué hora es la reunión?** – What time is the meeting?
2. **La reunión es a las dos de la tarde** – The meeting is at 2 PM
3. **¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?** – When is your birthday?
4. **Mi cumpleaños es el quince de abril** – My birthday is on April 15th
5. **¿Qué día es hoy?** – What day is today?
6. **Hoy es miércoles** – Today is Wednesday
7. **¿Qué día de la semana es el veinte de julio?** – What day of the week is July 20th?
8. **El veinte de julio es un viernes** – July 20th is a Friday
Seasonal References
Seasons are often used when discussing dates and times. Here are the names of the seasons in Spanish:
1. **Primavera** – Spring
2. **Verano** – Summer
3. **Otoño** – Autumn/Fall
4. **Invierno** – Winter
You can use these in sentences such as:
1. **Voy de vacaciones en verano** – I go on vacation in the summer
2. **Mi estación favorita es el otoño** – My favorite season is autumn
Holidays and Special Dates
Learning how to talk about holidays and special dates can be very useful. Here are some common holidays and phrases:
1. **Navidad** – Christmas
2. **Año Nuevo** – New Year
3. **Día de San Valentín** – Valentine’s Day
4. **Día de la Independencia** – Independence Day
5. **Semana Santa** – Holy Week/Easter
Examples:
1. **Feliz Navidad** – Merry Christmas
2. **Feliz Año Nuevo** – Happy New Year
3. **El Día de San Valentín es el catorce de febrero** – Valentine’s Day is on February 14th
Practice and Application
The best way to master these terms and phrases is through consistent practice and real-world application. Try incorporating these words and phrases into your daily conversations, practice with a language partner, or use language learning apps that focus on time and dates.
Remember, becoming comfortable with describing time and dates in Spanish will not only help you in practical situations but also deepen your overall understanding of the language. Keep practicing, and soon, telling time and discussing dates in Spanish will become second nature to you.
By mastering the vocabulary and structures covered in this article, you’ll be well on your way to effectively communicating time and dates in Spanish. Happy learning!
