Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
What Time Is It in Spanish: ¿Qué Hora Es? and How to Tell Time
¿Qué hora es? · phrase · keh OH-rah ehs
What time is it in Spanish is ¿Qué hora es? Answers follow a specific pattern: Es la una for one o'clock and Son las + number for every other hour. Minutes are added with y (and) or menos (minus).
keh OH-rah ehs, three quick syllables. Hora has a silent h; the stress is on OH. In fast speech it often sounds like keh-OH-rahs.
Disculpa, ¿qué hora es?
Excuse me, what time is it?
What Time Is It in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for what time is it, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué hora es? | what time is it | keh OH-rah ehs | Default, widely understood |
| ¿Qué horas son? | what time is it | informal in some Latin American countries | |
| ¿Tiene hora? | what time is it | polite way to ask a stranger for the time |
How Native Speakers Use ¿Qué hora es?
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Asking a stranger for the time
Perdona, ¿tiene hora? —Sí, son las tres y media.
Excuse me, do you have the time? —Yes, it's three thirty.
¿Tiene hora? is a polite, indirect way to ask the time on the street.
Answering with one o'clock
¿Qué hora es? —Es la una en punto.
What time is it? —It's one o'clock sharp.
One o'clock uses es la (singular) because hora is singular. All other hours use son las (plural).
Talking about a schedule
Son las ocho menos cuarto, la clase empieza en quince minutos.
It's quarter to eight, class starts in fifteen minutes.
Menos cuarto (minus a quarter) is the traditional way to express times approaching the next hour.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using ¿Qué hora es?
Using son las for one o'clock
Incorrect: Son las una.
Correct: Es la una.
Una is singular, so the verb and article must also be singular: es la una. Every other hour is plural: son las dos, son las tres, and so on.
Saying qué tiempo es for what time is it
Incorrect: ¿Qué tiempo es?
Correct: ¿Qué hora es?
Tiempo means time in the abstract sense or weather, not clock time. For asking the hour, Spanish always uses hora.
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Common Questions About What Time Is It in Spanish
- How do you say what time is it in Spanish?
- The standard phrase is ¿Qué hora es? You can also politely ask a stranger ¿Tiene hora? which is like saying Do you have the time?
- Why does one o'clock use es la instead of son las?
- Because una (one) is singular. Spanish matches the verb and article to the number: es la una (it is one) versus son las dos, son las tres, and so on. Think of it as it is the one hour versus they are the two hours.
- How do I say half past and quarter past in Spanish?
- Half past is y media: son las cinco y media (5:30). Quarter past is y cuarto: son las nueve y cuarto (9:15). Quarter to is menos cuarto: son las diez menos cuarto (9:45).