What time is it?

Spanish Learning Blog » What time is it?

🕒 How to tell the time in Spanish

1. Asking the time

To ask the time in Spanish, say:
¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

2. Telling the time

The structure is:
Son las + hour + y/menos + minutes

Example: Son las cuatro y veinte (It’s 4:20)

For one o’clock, use Es la instead of Son las:
Es la una y diez (It’s 1:10)

⏱️ The hour always comes first, followed by the minutes.

3. Using y and menos

Although you can always say y + minutes, Spanish speakers usually switch to menos + minutes after the half hour (XX:30).

When the minute hand is on the right-hand side of the clock (past the hour), use y:
Es la una y veinticinco (It’s 1:25 / 13:25)
When the minute hand is on the left-hand side (approaching the next hour), use menos:
Son las siete menos veinte (It’s 6:40)

4. Special expressions

Spanish uses set phrases for certain times:

x:00 = en punto → Son las cuatro en punto (It’s four o’clock)
x:15 = y cuarto → Son las cinco y cuarto (It’s quarter past five)
x:30 = y media → Es la una y media (It’s half past one)
x:45 = menos cuarto → Son las ocho menos cuarto (It’s quarter to eight)

These expressions are the ones used in Spain, but in Latin America the way people tell the time can vary. For example, instead of Son las siete menos veinte (It’s twenty to seven), you might hear Son las seis y cuarenta (It’s six forty). In many Latin American countries, the digital format is more common in everyday speech.

🕓 Also note: in Spanish, the 24-hour clock is common in writing, especially in timetables, schedules and official documents (14:00, 18:30…). In speech, however, people usually use the 12-hour clock with phrases such as de la mañana, de la tarde or de la noche. For example, 14:00 is las dos de la tarde (2 p.m.) and 22:00 is las diez de la noche (10 p.m.).