Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
Hours in Spanish: Horas — Telling Time & Duration
Horas · noun (feminine, plural) · OH-rahs
Hours in Spanish is horas, the plural of hora. This feminine noun is fundamental for telling time, indicating schedules, and expressing how long something takes.
Horas is pronounced OH-rahs. The h is silent in Spanish, so the word begins with the vowel sound.
El vuelo dura tres horas.
The flight lasts three hours.
Hours in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for hours, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| horas | hours | OH-rahs | Default, widely understood |
| hora | hours | singular form — hour |
How Native Speakers Use Horas
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking the time
¿Qué hora es? — Son las dos de la tarde.
What time is it? — It is two in the afternoon.
When telling time, Spanish uses ser + las + number for all hours except one o'clock.
Duration of an activity
Estudié durante cuatro horas seguidas.
I studied for four hours straight.
Horas expresses duration with prepositions like durante or por.
Work schedule
Mis horas de trabajo son de nueve a cinco.
My work hours are from nine to five.
Horas de trabajo is the standard way to say working hours.
Counting down
Faltan dos horas para que empiece la película.
There are two hours left before the movie starts.
Faltar + time expression is a natural way to express remaining time.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Horas
Forgetting to use feminine articles
Incorrect: Son los tres.
Correct: Son las tres.
Hora is feminine, so the article must be feminine too: las for plural hours and la for one o'clock (la una).
Using es instead of son for plural hours
Incorrect: Es las cinco.
Correct: Son las cinco.
Use son for all hours except one o'clock. Es is only used with la una because it is singular.
Why Hours Matters in Spanish-Speaking Cultures
Lock in Hours 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 Horas used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using horas in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear El vuelo dura tres horas. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
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Common Questions About Hours in Spanish
- How do I say 'What time is it?' in Spanish?
- The standard question is ¿Qué hora es? The answer uses son las + the hour for 2–12 (Son las ocho) and es la una for 1 o'clock.
- What is the difference between hora and horas?
- Hora is singular (one hour or the concept of time/hour), while horas is the plural (multiple hours). For example: una hora = one hour, tres horas = three hours.
- How do I say 'half an hour' in Spanish?
- Half an hour is media hora. You can also say y media when telling time: Son las tres y media (It is three thirty).