Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
How to Say Hour in Spanish: Hora & Telling Time
Hora · noun (feminine) · OH-rah
Hour in Spanish is hora. Beyond measuring duration, hora is essential for telling time: ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?). It is feminine, so it pairs with feminine articles and adjectives. The plural horas appears in durations and schedules.
OH-rah — the h is completely silent. Two syllables, stress on the first. The r is a single tap (not trilled).
El vuelo dura una hora y media.
The flight lasts an hour and a half.
Hour in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for hour, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| hora | hour | OH-rah | Default, widely understood |
| horas | hour | plural: hours |
How Native Speakers Use Hora
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking the time
¿Qué hora es? — Son las tres de la tarde.
What time is it? — It's three in the afternoon.
¿Qué hora es? is the universal question for asking the time in Spanish.
Duration
Esperamos dos horas en la fila.
We waited two hours in line.
Horas (plural) is used with cardinal numbers for duration.
Appointment time
La cita es a la una en punto.
The appointment is at one o'clock sharp.
A la una uses the singular feminine article because hora is feminine; plural times use a las (a las dos, a las cinco).
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Hora
Using el instead of la with hora
Incorrect: ¿Qué el hora es?
Correct: ¿Qué hora es?
Hora is feminine, so it takes la/las as articles. In the question ¿Qué hora es?, no article is needed before hora.
Confusing hora with tiempo
Incorrect: No tengo hora para eso.
Correct: No tengo tiempo para eso.
Hora means hour or clock time. Tiempo means time in the abstract sense (free time, enough time). Use tiempo for general time and hora for specific clock time.
Lock in Hour Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Hora used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using hora in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear El vuelo dura una hora y media. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Hour in Spanish
- How do you say hour in Spanish?
- Hour in Spanish is hora (feminine). It is used for both measuring duration (una hora = one hour) and telling time (¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?).
- What is the difference between hora and tiempo?
- Hora refers to a specific hour on the clock or a measured 60-minute period. Tiempo is the general concept of time (time to relax, no time left, etc.).
- Why does Spanish use son las for time instead of es la?
- Es la is used only for 1:00 (es la una) because una is singular. All other hours are plural, so you use son las (son las dos, son las diez).