Telling Time

To ask what time it is, use: ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

To state the time of day in Spanish, the verb ser will be used, as will the feminine definite article (la, las). Use “la” for one o’clock and “las” for all other times. This means that “es” will be used for one o’clock, and “son” for all other times.

For example:

Es la una. It’s one o’clock.
Son las dos. It’s two o’clock.
Son las tres. It’s three o’clock.
Son las cuatro. It’s four o’clock.
Etc…

To add minutes past the hour, use “y”:

Es la una y cinco. It’s 1:05.
Son las dos y doce. It’s 2:12.

To say it is a quarter past or half past the hour, use “cuarto” and “media”.

Son las dos y cuarto. It’s 2:15.
Son las dos y media. It’s 2:30.