Spanish A1: Ask and Tell the Time – Your First Conversations

Welcome to your first steps in learning Spanish! This article will focus on a super useful skill: asking for and telling the time. It’s perfect for simple conversations you’ll use every day. Don’t worry about getting everything perfectly right at first – that’s what practice is for!

Key Phrases You Need to Know

Here are some essential phrases you’ll hear and use:

• What time is it? – ¿Qué hora es?
• It’s… – Es…
• One o’clock – Una hora/de la tarde/de la noche
• Two o’clock – Dos horas/de la tarde/de la noche
• Three o’clock – Tres horas/de la tarde/de la noche

Asking for the Time

Let’s practice asking someone what time it is. Here are some ways you can do this:

• “Excuse me, what time is it?” – Perdón, ¿qué hora es? (Formal)
• “Hi, what’s the time?” – Hola, ¿qué hora es? (Informal)

Common Mistakes: People often say “¿Qué es la hora?” which is technically correct but sounds a little stiff for beginners. Stick with “¿Qué hora es?” for now!

Telling the Time

Now, let’s learn how to answer when someone asks you what time it is.

• Digital Clocks: For digital clocks (like the ones on your phone), just say the number.
• Example: “It’s 3:15” – Es la una y quince (literally, “It’s one and fifteen”)

Analog Clocks: This is a little trickier! Here are some helpful phrases:

• “It’s quarter past…” – Son las cuarto… (e.g., It’s quarter past three – Es la una y cuarto)
• “It’s half past…” – Son las media hora… (e.g., It’s half past five – Es la una y media)
• “It’s a few minutes after…” – Son un poco después de… (e.g., “It’s a few minutes after eight” – Es un poco después de las ocho )
• “It’s a few minutes to…” – Son un poco antes de… (e.g. It’s a few minutes to ten) – Son un poco antes de las diez

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1:

Person A:  ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
Person B: Es la una y veinte. (It's one twenty.)

Dialogue 2:

Person A: ¿Son las diez? (Is it ten o’clock?)
Person B:  Sí, son las diez y media. (Yes, it’s ten thirty).

Practice Time!

Try these sentences:

• “It’s… _______.”
• “What time is it?” (to a friend)

Remember to keep practicing! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – that’s how you learn. ¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)