Talking About the Time and Dates in Spanish

This section explains how to talk about time and dates in Spanish and includes tips for students studying foundation and higher tiers.

Talking About the Time (La Hora)

In Spanish, telling the time is slightly different from English, especially when it comes to using the 24-hour clock or the 12-hour clock.

Telling the Time in Spanish

To tell the time in Spanish, we use the verb ser (to be), as time is considered a permanent feature. The structure is: "Es la" (for 1 o'clock) or "Son las" (for any other hour).

• 1:00 = Es la una. (It’s one o’clock.)
• 2:00 = Son las dos. (It’s two o’clock.)
• 3:00 = Son las tres. (It’s three o’clock.)

Minutes Past the Hour

To express minutes past the hour, we simply add the number of minutes after the hour.

• 2:05 = Son las dos y cinco. (It’s five past two.)
• 4:15 = Son las cuatro y cuarto. (It’s a quarter past four.)
• 6:30 = Son las seis y media. (It’s half past six.)
• 9:50 = Son las diez menos diez. (It’s ten to ten.)

Using "Cuarto" and "Media"

• Cuarto (quarter) is used for 15 minutes.
  • 2:15 = Son las dos y cuarto. (It’s a quarter past two.)
  • 5:45 = Son las seis menos cuarto. (It’s a quarter to six.)
• Media (half) is used for 30 minutes.
  • 3:30 = Son las tres y media. (It’s half past three.)

Telling the Time in the 24-Hour Clock

In Spain and many Spanish-speaking countries, the 24-hour clock is commonly used, especially in timetables and formal settings.

• 3:00 PM = Son las quince horas. (It’s 15:00 hours.)
• 9:00 AM = Son las nueve horas. (It’s 09:00 hours.)

Foundation Tier Example: Telling the Time

At GCSE Foundation level, students are expected to use basic structures to tell the time.

• Son las tres y diez. (It’s ten past three.)
• Es la una y media. (It’s half past one.)

Higher Tier Example: Telling the Time

At the Higher tier, students are expected to use a variety of ways to express the time, including more complex sentences with specific minutes.

• Son las cuatro y veinticinco. (It’s twenty-five past four.)
• Son las ocho menos cuarto. (It’s a quarter to eight.)
• A las cinco en punto voy a ir al cine. (At five o’clock, I’m going to the cinema.)

Talking About Dates (Las Fechas)

In Spanish, the date is written and spoken differently from English. The structure is typically "El [day] de [month] de [year]".

Days of the Week (Los Días de la Semana)

The days of the week in Spanish are not capitalised unless they are at the start of a sentence.

• Example: Hoy es martes. (Today is Tuesday.)

Months of the Year (Los Meses del Año)

Like the days of the week, months in Spanish are not capitalised unless at the start of a sentence.

• Example: Mi cumpleaños es en mayo. (My birthday is in May.)

Expressing the Date in Spanish

To say the date, you use el (the) before the day of the month, followed by de (of) and then the month and year.

• 12th January 2025 = El 12 de enero de 2025.
• 25th December = El 25 de diciembre. (Christmas Day)

Foundation Tier Example: Dates

At GCSE Foundation level, students are expected to be able to ask and answer simple questions about the date.

• ¿Qué fecha es hoy? (What’s the date today?)
  • Hoy es el 10 de febrero. (Today is the 10th of February.)
• Mi cumpleaños es el 5 de abril. (My birthday is the 5th of April.)

Higher Tier Example: Dates

At the Higher tier, students are expected to use more complex structures to talk about dates, including including the year and seasons.

• El concierto es el 3 de junio de 2025. (The concert is on the 3rd of June, 2025.)
• Mi hermano nació el 14 de septiembre de 2000. (My brother was born on the 14th of September, 2000.)

Seasons of the Year (Las Estaciones del Año)

The seasons in Spanish are also important when talking about dates and times of year.

• Example: Me gusta el invierno. (I like winter.)

Summary Table for Talking About the Time and Date

By mastering how to talk about the time and dates in Spanish, you’ll be able to easily discuss daily schedules, appointments, and events in both formal and informal contexts. The key to success is practice and remembering the structure for telling the time and dates, which may seem a bit different from English but is straightforward once you get used to it.