Times and Dates

Times and Dates

Understanding Spanish Time:

  • Spanish 24-hour clock format is commonly used, especially in written form and official communications.
  • To specify AM or PM in a 12-hour clock format, “de la mañana” is used for the morning, “de la tarde” for the afternoon and “de la noche” for the evening.

Key Vocabulary:

  • Hours: las horas
  • Minutes: los minutos
  • Seconds: los segundos
  • Day: el día
  • Week: la semana
  • Month: el mes
  • Year: el año

Asking the Time:

  • ¿Qué hora es?” means “What time is it?”
  • ¿A qué hora…?” means “At what time…?”

Expressing Time:

  • For 1 o’clock, use “Es la una…
  • For other hours, use “Son las [number]…

Describing the Days of the Week:

  • Monday: lunes
  • Tuesday: martes
  • Wednesday: miércoles
  • Thursday: jueves
  • Friday: viernes
  • Saturday: sábado
  • Sunday: domingo

Identifying Months of the Year:

  • From January to December: enero, febrero, marzo, abril, mayo, junio, julio, agosto, septiembre, octubre, noviembre, diciembre.

Discussing the Date:

  • Hoy es…” means “Today is…”
  • Mañana será…” means “Tomorrow will be…”
  • Dates are expressed in a day/month/year format in Spanish.

Seasons in Spanish:

  • Spring: la primavera
  • Summer: el verano
  • Autumn: el otoño
  • Winter: el invierno

Remember to practise these regularly to understand them well. Refer back to them often to keep your vocabulary sharp and improve your conversational skills in Spanish.