[SPEAKING SPANISH] What time is it? So let's answer that question. When you're giving the current time, there certain steps to follow. You'll start with [SPANISH]. Unless you're closest to 1 o'clock, in which case, you would say, [SPANISH]. There's a reason for this. In English, we modify everything by o'clock, as an it is 1 o'clock. It is 2 o'clock. The word o'clock doesn't exist in Spanish.
Instead they say that hour is 1:00. The hours are 2:00 So they're making it plural to agree with plural hours just as we would say there is one apple. There are two apples.
By the way, they're modifying the word hour, [SPANISH]. Not what time is it? What hour is it? The word [SPANISH] is feminine. So that's why it's [SPANISH] for [SPANISH] and [SPANISH], feminine, for [SPANISH] and all the other numbers. So again, if you're stating that it's 1:00, [SPANISH] If it's 2:00, [SPANISH]. [SPANISH] with all other numbers, [SPANISH], and so forth.
Your next step is to state the nearest hour. So if you're closest to, for example, 4 o'clock, you would say, [SPANISH] to begin your phrase. But if you're closer to 5:00, for example, say it's 4:45, you're actually closer to 5 o'clock. So you would say [SPANISH] first. Then we're going to subtract minutes away from it. But they start with the hour, and they start with the hour that you're closest to.
So what if it's 3:05? Forget the minutes for now. But what hour would you state? [SPANISH]. What if it's 3:55? What hour would you state? [SPANISH]. And then we'll expand to make it more specific.
Next we need to connect the hour and the minutes with either and, which is [SPANISH] or minus, which is [SPANISH]. So for the first half of the hour, from 1 minute to 30 minutes past, you'll use [SPANISH] because you're closest to the hour that you're actually on. If it's the second half the hour, you must use [SPANISH] because you're not to that hour yet.
So let's see some examples. 4:15, [SPANISH] because your minutes after 4:00. Versus 4:45, which will be [SPANISH]. Is 5 o'clock minus so many minutes. Then you just state the number of minutes that it is past or until the next hour. 4:15, [SPANISH]. Literally it's 4 and 15. Whereas 4:45 is [SPANISH]. It's 5 o'clock minus 15 minutes. Or if you read it backwards, it sounds like this. It's 15 till 5.
Now, this is not the only way to tell time. But because it's the only way that every Spanish speaker will understand, it's the best way. Next you'll add some descriptive phrases, if you need them. And we're going to learn those next.
Let's try some examples. Tell me 7:20. [SPANISH]. Now it's 7:40. [SPANISH]. Then the closest hour's 8:00. But it's not there yet. So you subtract 20 minutes away, [SPANISH]. Read backwards it's 20 till 8:00.
Now you can read about the other ways of telling time if you like. This is optional. One note that I want to point out is that digital clocks in Spanish-speaking countries usually display military time. They don't say it as such. For example, 1:00 PM would be [SPANISH], but it would display as 13:00. Take as much time to read about these alternate ways of telling time. if you'd like. This slide is optional. So move on when you're ready.
Here's some additional vocabulary you'll find useful for telling time. 30 minutes can either be [SPANISH], 30 minutes past the hour. Or you might hear [SPANISH], just like we say it's 5:30 or it's half past 5:00. [SPANISH] is half. so [SPANISH]. To say a quarter past you can either say [SPANISH], 15 minutes, literally, or [SPANISH], and a quarter, just like we say 4:14 or a quarter past. Notice this not [SPANISH], T-R. It's [SPANISH], R-T, like quarter.
A quarter till, [SPANISH], or [SPANISH] is also fine. On the dot, [SPANISH]. Now, you'll find this one really useful. In Spanish, they don't always just use [SPANISH] straight up on the hour, such as 4:00 on the dot or 5:00 on the dot. Rather, they use it to emphasize that something needs to happen on time. So [SPANISH], be here at 6:30 on the dot, like right at 6:30 because in the Spanish speaking world time is a bit more fluid than it is in the US. This might be a good one to add to your repertoire to really stress that someone needs to be there at a specific time.
Now, because they don't have AM/PM, they have parts of the day. So for the morning hours, from midnight until noon, you'll use [SPANISH].
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
It's 8:00 in the morning. For the PM hours, from noon until about suppertime, which varies by region, you would use [SPANISH]. And then for night time, which is from supper time until midnight, [SPANISH]. Of course, with telling time, that's usually not quite so important because if someone is sober and not on medication that renders them useless, they can usually tell whether the sun is out or not. So these are optional. But for saying at what time something should happen, these become very important. So don't skip past them.
Midnight, [SPANISH]. So if you want to specify that [SPANISH] is midnight as opposed to midday, instead of [SPANISH], you can say [SPANISH], it is midnight. Or [SPANISH], it is midday. Because you're not counting hours here, you're not using the plural. You're saying it's the middle of the night or it's the middle of the day. [SPANISH], which is feminine, or [SPANISH], which is masculine.
24 hours is [SPANISH]. I'm sure many of you work at pharmacies that are open for that many hours a day. Hopefully your shift is not that long. Hour is [SPANISH], as you've learned, the plural [SPANISH]. Minute, [SPANISH], and the plural, [SPANISH]. Second, [SPANISH]. Seconds, [SPANISH].
Day is [SPANISH], which is masculine, by the way, [SPANISH]. Night is [SPANISH]. It's feminine, [SPANISH]. Week, [SPANISH]. Month is [SPANISH]. It's masculine, [SPANISH]. And season is [SPANISH]. It's feminine.
Year, [SPANISH]. Think of annual, a book that comes out yearly. Remember the tilde on top of the N. Without the tilde, "anyos" "anos." And it's no longer years. It's a body part that you should only have one of, and you may be sitting on it right now.
Now is [SPANISH], literally at hour, at this hour, or right now, [SPANISH]. The H is silent. Remember to put the R in front of the mouth so not "ah-ora" but (TRILLING) "ah-orda" like a double D, [SPANISH]. Later, [SPANISH]. You may have also heard [SPANISH]. That's also fine.
Today is [SPANISH]. The H is silent, [SPANISH]. Tomorrow, [SPANISH]. This means both tomorrow and morning, just like in Great Britain, in England, they would use a good day for good morning or day for the duration of the daylight hours. Yesterday, [SPANISH].
This weekend, [SPANISH], this end of week, literally. Next weekend is [SPANISH]. So next, as in next in sequence for dates and so forth, [SPANISH] is the phrase you need, literally "that comes" or "that is coming." Last week, [SPANISH], so last, as in it's already occurred, [SPANISH] or [SPANISH]. It's the adjective form. So you make it agree, [SPANISH].
Last month would be [SPANISH] since [SPANISH] is masculine. Here's a reminder about the fact that they don't have the AM/PM system. So you can read through that if you need a review.
When giving the current time in Spanish, there are certain steps for you to follow:
Additionally, there is an easier, more casual way of telling time. You can simply state the hour and then add the number of minutes.
EXAMPLE
4:50 could be stated as "Son las cuatro y cincuenta."Some Spanish speakers will use para when subtracting minutes from the next hour and stating the minutes.
EXAMPLE
Instead of "Son las siete menos diez," they might say, "Son las diez para siete," which would translate to "It’s ten till seven" or "It’s ten of seven."In Spanish, they do not say a.m. or p.m. to describe the part of day. Instead, you will choose from:
The following table lists descriptive phrases and other helpful expressions you can use when talking about time.
English | Spanish |
---|---|
half (30 minutes) past | ...y media (or: y treinta) |
quarter (15 minutes) past | ...y cuarto (or: y quince) |
quarter (15 minutes) until | ...menos cuarto (or: menos quince) |
on the dot | ..en punto |
a.m. | ...de la mañana |
p.m. (until ~6:00) | ...de la tarde |
p.m. (~6:00 until midnight) | ..de la noche |
midnight | medianoche |
noon | mediodía |
24 hours | veinticuatro horas |
hour(s) | hora(s) |
minute(s) | minuto(s) |
second(s) | segundo(s) |
day | día |
night | noche |
week | semana |
month | mes |
season | estación |
year | año |
now | ahora |
later | más tarde |
today | hoy |
tomorrow | hoy |
yesterday | ayer |
this weekend | este fin de semana |
next weekend | el fin de semana que viene |
next | que viene |
last week | la semana pasada |
last | pasado/a |
[MUSIC PLAYING] [SPEAKING SPANISH], At What Time? This is the question you're going to be asking and answering far more frequently than [SPEAKING SPANISH], and it's very simple. You state it the same exact way as you say the time that it is currently, only instead of starting off your sentence with [SPEAKING SPANISH] or [SPEAKING SPANISH], which implies "it is that time now," you want to begin your sentence with either [SPEAKING SPANISH] or [SPEAKING SPANISH], so "at that time."
The letter A or the word [SPEAKING SPANISH] means "at." So "at one" is [SPEAKING SPANISH]. At two, [SPEAKING SPANISH]. How would you say "at 3:40," "at 3:40"? I'm going to make you think on this one. [SPEAKING SPANISH] Again, this is the one that you'll need to practice, [SPEAKING SPANISH] versus [SPEAKING SPANISH].
There's one other phrase you might benefit from, and it's [SPEAKING SPANISH]. You can add that to the end to say "roughly." in other words, I'm telling you to come back at five, but it might be ready at 4:45 and it might be ready at 5:20. So [SPEAKING SPANISH], that gives you a little float time.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Let's practice. This time I'm going to ask a question, and you're going to respond based on what you see on the screen. You'll see a hint pop up to give you an indication of what answer you should give. Here we go. The first one is [SPEAKING SPANISH].
This one would be [SPEAKING SPANISH].
Now try another one. [SPEAKING SPANISH] That would be "at five," not, "the time is currently five." So [SPEAKING SPANISH]. Let's practice that one again. [SPEAKING SPANISH]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
When telling someone at what hour something will occur, you can start by following the exact same steps as above and using the same list of expressions to help you.
However, instead of beginning your sentence with "Es la..." or "Son las...," you will begin your sentence with A la... or A las....
The following dialogue demonstrates a typical exchange between a patient and a nurse.
Nurse: ¡Hola! ¡Buenas tardes! (Hello! Good afternoon!)
Patient: ¿Puedo hacer una cita? (Can I make an appointment?)
Nurse: Sí, pero estoy ocupada ahora. (Yes, but I’m busy right now.)
Patient: Pues, ¿qué hora es? (Well, what time is it?)
Nurse: Ahora, son las cuatro y veinte. (Now, it’s 4:20.)
Patient: ¿Y a qué hora puedo volver? (And at what time can I return?)
Nurse: ¿Pudiera volver a las seis menos cuarto? (Could you please return at 5:45?)
Patient: Okay. (Okay.)
Nurse: Gracias. ¡Hasta luego! (Thank you. See you later!)
If you are struggling with a concept or terminology in the course, you may contact SpanishforNursesSupport@capella.edu for assistance.
If you are having technical issues, please contact learningcoach@sophia.org.
Source: This content has been adapted from "Spanish for Nurses" by Stephanie Langston.