¡Hola! Let's learn how to tell time in Spanish. It is super easy and fun once you know the secret patterns!
To ask 'What time is it?' in Spanish, we say: ¿Qué hora es? (keh OH-rah ess). To answer, we usually start with 'Es la...' for one o'clock, or 'Son las...' for any other hour.
Why do we use two different starts? We use 'Es la' (It is) only for one o'clock because 'one' is singular. We use 'Son las' (They are) for hours two through twelve because those numbers are plural!
To add minutes, we just use the word 'y' (and) followed by the number of minutes. For example, 'Son las dos y diez' means 'It is 2:10' (literally, 'They are the two and ten').
✏️ Worked example
How do you say 'It is 4:20' in Spanish?
Step 1: Look at the hour. The hour is 4, which is plural. So, we must start with 'Son las' (They are).
Step 2: Translate the hour number. The number 4 in Spanish is 'cuatro' (KWAH-troh). Put them together: 'Son las cuatro'.
Step 3: Add the word for 'and', which is 'y' (ee). Now we have: 'Son las cuatro y...'.
Step 4: Translate the minutes. The number 20 in Spanish is 'veinte' (BAYN-teh).
Step 5: Put it all together to get the final sentence: 'Son las cuatro y veinte' (It is 4:20).
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