- Tell the time using basic expressions (hour, half hour, quarter)
- Ask and answer "What time is it?" in Spanish
- Name and use days of the week and months correctly
- Give and understand simple dates using Spanish format
- Make basic appointments and daily arrangements
- Express when things happen using time markers
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Time and Dates: hora, días, meses
What You'll Learn
Overview / Usage
Learning to tell time and express dates in Spanish is essential for daily communication. From arranging meetings to discussing birthdays, these skills form the foundation of practical Spanish conversation.
⏰ Key Concepts at A1 Level
- Basic time expressions (o'clock, half past, quarter past/to)
- Days of the week and months of the year
- Simple date formats
- Common time-related questions and answers
Structure & Formation
🕐 Part 1: Telling Time - Es la/Son las
Basic Structure
| Time | Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | Es la una | Es la una en punto It's one o'clock |
| 2:00-12:00 | Son las [number] | Son las tres It's three o'clock |
💡 Remember: Use "Es la" for 1:00, but "Son las" for all other hours!
Time Expressions
Quarter Hours
y cuarto
quarter past
y media
half past
menos cuarto
quarter to
Special Times
al mediodía
at noon
a medianoche
at midnight
Time of Day
de la mañana
in the morning (AM)
de la tarde
in the afternoon/evening
de la noche
at night (PM)
📅 Part 2: Days of the Week
| Day | Usage: el (specific) / los (habitual) |
|---|---|
lunes Monday | el lunes on Monday (specific) los lunes on Mondays (every Monday) |
martes Tuesday | el martes on Tuesday (specific) los martes on Tuesdays (every Tuesday) |
miércoles Wednesday | el miércoles on Wednesday (specific) los miércoles on Wednesdays (every Wednesday) |
jueves Thursday | el jueves on Thursday (specific) los jueves on Thursdays (every Thursday) |
viernes Friday | el viernes on Friday (specific) los viernes on Fridays (every Friday) |
sábado Saturday | el sábado on Saturday (specific) los sábados on Saturdays (every Saturday) |
domingo Sunday | el domingo on Sunday (specific) los domingos on Sundays (every Sunday) |
📌 Important Pattern:
- el lunes = on Monday (specific, one time)
- los lunes = on Mondays (habitual, every Monday)
🗓️ Part 3: Months and Dates
Months of the Year
enero January | febrero February | marzo March | abril April |
mayo May | junio June | julio July | agosto August |
septiembre September | octubre October | noviembre November | diciembre December |
enero January | febrero February |
marzo March | abril April |
mayo May | junio June |
julio July | agosto August |
septiembre September | octubre October |
noviembre November | diciembre December |
📆 Date Format
el + [number] + de + [month]
el cinco de mayo
the 5th of May
el primero de enero
the 1st of January
⚠️ Special case: Use "primero" for the 1st of any month!
Examples
💬 Essential Questions and Answers
Asking About Time
¿Qué hora es?
What time is it?
Son las cuatro y media
It's half past four
¿A qué hora es la clase?
What time is the class?
La clase es a las nueve
The class is at nine
Asking About Days and Dates
¿Qué día es hoy?
What day is it today?
Hoy es martes
Today is Tuesday
¿Cuál es la fecha de hoy?
What's today's date?
Es el quince de marzo
It's the 15th of March
🗣️ Real-World Conversations
Making an Appointment
A: ¿Podemos reunirnos el viernes?
Can we meet on Friday?
B: Sí, ¿a qué hora?
Yes, at what time?
A: A las tres y cuarto de la tarde
At quarter past three in the afternoon
B: Perfecto, hasta el viernes
Perfect, see you Friday
Talking About Birthdays
A: ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
When is your birthday?
B: Mi cumpleaños es el veinte de julio
My birthday is the 20th of July
Gotchas / Common Mistakes
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Wrong verb for 1:00
❌ Wrong: Son la una
✅ Right: Es la una(It's one o'clock)
Always use 'Es la' for 1:00, never 'Son la'
❌ Wrong verb for other hours
❌ Wrong: Es las tres
✅ Right: Son las tres(It's three o'clock)
Use 'Son las' for all hours except 1:00
❌ Using 'uno' for the 1st
❌ Wrong: el uno de mayo
✅ Right: el primero de mayo(the 1st of May)
Always use 'primero' for the 1st of any month
❌ Using 'en' with days
❌ Wrong: en lunes
✅ Right: el lunes(on Monday)
Use 'el' with days of the week, not 'en'
❌ Confusing el/los for days
❌ Wrong: los lunes (for one Monday)
✅ Right: el lunes (for one Monday)(on Monday (once))
'el lunes' = on Monday (once), 'los lunes' = on Mondays (habitual)
❌ Using 'en' with dates
❌ Wrong: Mi cumpleaños es en el 5 de mayo
✅ Right: Mi cumpleaños es el 5 de mayo(My birthday is May 5th)
Don't use 'en' before dates in Spanish
❌ Wrong word for 'time'
❌ Wrong: ¿Qué tiempo es?
✅ Right: ¿Qué hora es?(What time is it?)
'Tiempo' means weather/time (duration), 'hora' means time (clock)
❌ Date format confusion
❌ Wrong: 5/15 (May 15th)
✅ Right: 15/5 (15 de mayo)(May 15th)
Spanish uses day/month format, not month/day like US English
Quick Test / Mini Quiz
1
How do you say 'It's 1:30' in Spanish?
2
What's the correct way to say 'on Mondays' (habitual)?
3
How do you ask 'What day is it today?'
4
What's the correct way to say 'the 1st of January'?
5
How do you say 'It's quarter to five'?
6
Which phrase correctly means 'at noon'?
7
How do you say 'My birthday is on July 20th'?
8
What's the correct response to '¿Qué hora es?' when it's 8:00 PM?
Useful Resources
Coming soon...