Spanish Time Vocabulary: Essential Words and Phrases
Mastering Spanish vocabulary time expressions is essential for everyday conversations. Whether you're scheduling appointments, discussing your daily routine, or simply asking what time it is, these Spanish words for time will help you communicate naturally and confidently.
Essential Time Vocabulary
Before diving into complex expressions, you need to learn Spanish time basics. These core vocabulary words form the foundation for all time-related conversations.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| la hora | lah OH-rah | the hour/time | ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?) |
| el minuto | el mee-NOO-toh | minute | Espera un minuto. (Wait a minute.) |
| el segundo | el seh-GOON-doh | second | Dame un segundo. (Give me a second.) |
| el reloj | el reh-LOH | clock/watch | Mi reloj está atrasado. (My watch is slow.) |
| la mañana | lah mah-NYAH-nah | morning | Trabajo por la mañana. (I work in the morning.) |
| la tarde | lah TAR-deh | afternoon/evening | Nos vemos por la tarde. (See you in the afternoon.) |
| la noche | lah NOH-cheh | night | Duermo bien por la noche. (I sleep well at night.) |
| el mediodía | el meh-dee-oh-DEE-ah | noon/midday | Almuerzo al mediodía. (I eat lunch at noon.) |
| la medianoche | lah meh-dee-ah-NOH-cheh | midnight | El año nuevo empieza a la medianoche. (New Year starts at midnight.) |
| temprano | tem-PRAH-noh | early | Me levanto temprano. (I wake up early.) |
| tarde | TAR-deh | late | Llegaste tarde. (You arrived late.) |
| ahora | ah-OH-rah | now | Lo necesito ahora. (I need it now.) |
| hoy | oy | today | Hoy es lunes. (Today is Monday.) |
| mañana | mah-NYAH-nah | tomorrow | Te llamo mañana. (I'll call you tomorrow.) |
| ayer | ah-YEHR | yesterday | Ayer fui al cine. (Yesterday I went to the movies.) |
| siempre | see-EHM-preh | always | Siempre llego a tiempo. (I always arrive on time.) |
| nunca | NOON-kah | never | Nunca tengo tiempo. (I never have time.) |
| a veces | ah VEH-sehs | sometimes | A veces trabajo de noche. (Sometimes I work at night.) |
| en punto | en POON-toh | on the dot/sharp | La reunión es a las tres en punto. (The meeting is at three sharp.) |
| y media | ee MEH-dee-ah | half past | Son las dos y media. (It's half past two.) |
Common Spanish Time Phrases
Beyond individual words, these common Spanish time phrases will help you sound more natural in conversations. Native speakers use these expressions constantly in daily life.
- ¿Qué hora es? (keh OH-rah ehs) — What time is it?
- ¿A qué hora...? (ah keh OH-rah) — At what time...?
- Es la una. (ehs lah OO-nah) — It's one o'clock.
- Son las dos. (sohn lahs dohs) — It's two o'clock.
- De vez en cuando (deh vehs ehn KWAHN-doh) — From time to time
- A tiempo (ah tee-EHM-poh) — On time
- En este momento (ehn EHS-teh moh-MEHN-toh) — Right now/At this moment
- Dentro de poco (DEHN-troh deh POH-koh) — In a little while
- Hace mucho tiempo (AH-seh MOO-choh tee-EHM-poh) — A long time ago
- ¿Cuánto tiempo? (KWAHN-toh tee-EHM-poh) — How long?/How much time?
- Todo el tiempo (TOH-doh el tee-EHM-poh) — All the time
- Al mismo tiempo (al MEES-moh tee-EHM-poh) — At the same time
Usage Notes
This Spanish lesson time section covers important grammatical and cultural points that will help you use time expressions correctly.
Telling time with "ser": In Spanish, you use the verb ser (to be) to tell time. Use es only for one o'clock (Es la una), and son for all other hours (Son las tres). The definite article la/las is always required.
AM and PM: While Spanish has adopted a.m. and p.m. in some contexts, it's more natural to use phrases like de la mañana (in the morning), de la tarde (in the afternoon), and de la noche (at night). For example: Son las ocho de la mañana (It's 8 AM).
The 24-hour clock: In Spain and many Latin American countries, the 24-hour clock is commonly used for schedules, transportation, and formal contexts. Las quince horas means 3:00 PM.
"Mañana" confusion: Note that mañana means both "morning" (la mañana with the article) and "tomorrow" (mañana without the article). Context usually makes the meaning clear.
Punctuality culture: Time perceptions vary across Spanish-speaking countries. In Spain and some South American countries, social events often start later than scheduled, while business meetings typically begin on time. In Mexico, ahorita (right now) can paradoxically mean anything from immediately to later today!
Practice Sentences
Put your new Spanish words for time into practice with these example sentences. Try reading them aloud to improve your pronunciation.
- ¿A qué hora empieza la película? — What time does the movie start?
- La tienda abre a las nueve de la mañana. — The store opens at nine in the morning.
- Siempre tomo café por la mañana. — I always have coffee in the morning.
- Llegamos tarde porque había mucho tráfico. — We arrived late because there was a lot of traffic.
- ¿Tienes tiempo para hablar ahora? — Do you have time to talk now?
- La clase dura una hora y media. — The class lasts an hour and a half.
- Ayer estudié español por tres horas. — Yesterday I studied Spanish for three hours.
- El tren sale a las dieciséis y cuarenta y cinco. — The train leaves at 4:45 PM.
- Hace mucho tiempo que no te veo. — I haven't seen you in a long time.
- Voy al gimnasio tres veces a la semana. — I go to the gym three times a week.
- ¿Cuánto tiempo tardas en llegar al trabajo? — How long does it take you to get to work?
- Mañana por la mañana tengo una reunión importante. — Tomorrow morning I have an important meeting.
With consistent practice, these time expressions will become second nature. Try incorporating them into your daily Spanish practice by describing your schedule and routines using the vocabulary from this guide.