the time

Extra Tips for Telling Time in Spanish

Remember the 24-Hour Clock
In many Spanish-speaking countries, especially in formal settings like transportation, schedules, and business, the 24-hour clock is commonly used instead of the 12-hour format. For example:

• 15:00 – 3:00 PM
• 18:30 – 6:30 PM
• 23:45 – 11:45 PM

This is particularly important when dealing with timetables or train/bus schedules.

Using “Es la” vs. “Son las”

• Es la is used only for 1:00 and all singular hours (because hora is singular in Spanish).
  • Es la una (It’s 1:00)
• Son las is used for all other hours (plural).
  • Son las dos (It’s 2:00)

This is a subtle but essential distinction to keep in mind.

How to Express “Around” or “About” the Time If you want to express an approximate time (like “around 3:00”), you can use the word más o menos (more or less). In some countries it is expressed as “A eso de las…”

• • Es más o menos a las tres – It’s around 3:00.
  • Es a eso de las tres – It’s around 3:00.