1.6: La hora
- Page ID
- 316344
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Telling Time in Spanish
¿Qué hora es?/¿Qué horas son?
The clock above shows the different use of "y" and "menos" depending on where the minute hand is on the clock.
- "Y" (and) is used for the first 30 minutes, and "menos" (minus) is used after that.
- Use the word "cuarto" (quarter) to indicate 15 minutes. Beware of the spelling of "cuaRTo" (quarter) vs. "cuaTRo" (four).
- Use the word "media" (half) to indicate thirty minutes.
- "En punto" is used when the minute hand is on the twelve, as the translation to the English "o'clock" on "on the dot".
- To ask what time it is, ask ¿Qué hora es? or ¿Qué horas son?
- The verb "ser" is used to express time.
- To say "o'clock" use "en punto".
- The expression "La hora" is feminine, therefore, when using "1", say "Es la una" or "Es la una y..." or "Es la una menos...".
- To express time between 1:00 and 1:59, say "Es la.."
- Starting from "2:00 to 12:59", use "son las": son las dos, son las tres, son las cuatro... son las doce" because you are now talking about more than one hour.
- The arrows show that minutes 1-30 passed the hour is expressed by using "y".
- The arrows also show that minutes 31-59 before the hour is expressed by using " next hour + menos + minutes".
- To express 15 minutes (on either side of the clock), you can use "quince" (15) or use "cuarto" (quarter).
- To express 30 minutes, use "treinta" (30) or "media" (half).
- 12:00 p.m. (noon) can also be expressed by saying: "Es el mediodía" or "son las doce del mediodía."
- 12:00 a.m. (midnight) can also be expressed by saying: "Es la medianoche".
- "...de la mañana", "...de la tarde", and "....de la noche" are used to expressed specific time: "son las seis y diez de la mañana" (it is six ten in the morning)
- The expressions "en la mañana" or "por la mañana", "en la tarde" or "por la tarde", and "en la noche" or "por la noche" are used to convey a general time period: me gusta caminar por la mañana (I like to walk in the morning). Think of "por" here as "during."
Talking About the Time of an Event
- Use "¿A qué hora es...?" (At what time is..?) to express at what time an event takes place. This is different than telling the time as it refers to a single event and the verb "ser" will be conjugated in the third-person-singular-form: "¿A qué hora es la clase de español?" "¿A qué hora es la fiesta?"
- To answer the question or to express "at what time an event is", use: "es + a + la/las + hour": "La clase de español es a la una de la tarde." "La fiesta es a las siete de la noche." Note: a + el = al; therefore, when telling that an event takes place at noon: "es al mediodía."
- In daily life, a 12-hour format is usual in the Spanish speaking countries. However, a 24-hour timetable is expressed on transportation itineraries, movie schedules, official events, social invitations. "El tren sale a las 23:35 horas." "La película es a las 14:00 horas."
- REMEMBER: ¿A qué hora es...? = At what time is...? BUT ¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
