1. Telling time in Spanish
La hora
Telling time in Spanish

2. Essential Information
Time is feminine
We must use definite articles when expressing the time in Spanish
Time uses the verb SER
Singular and plural rules apply
Based on the hour of the time
There is more than one way to say “P.M.”
Must establish when to use each form

3. A.M. and P.M. “De la mañana” represents A.M.
“In the morning”
“De la tarde” represents the first form of P.M.
“In the afternoon” or “In the evening”
“De la noche” represents the second form of P.M.
“At night”

4. A.M. and P.M.
We’ll use “De la mañana” starting at 12:00 a.m. (midnight) up until 12:00 p.m. (noon)
We’ll use “De la tarde” starting at 12:00 p.m. (noon) up until 7:00 p.m.*
We’ll use “De la noche” starting at 7:00 p.m. up until 12:00 a.m. (midnight)

5. Time is feminine
This applies to when we say the number one in Spanish (which normally is masculine). It will now be made feminine
Ex.) uno  una
We must use our feminine definite articles La
Las

6. SER ¿Qué hora es? Clue to help remember to use SER when telling time:
When asking what time is it, we see the Él/Ella/Usted form of the verb SER in the question:
¿Qué hora es?

7. SER
Most of the time we will use the Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes (third-person plural) form of SER when telling the time.
Son
During the 1 o’clock hour (1:00-1:30), we’ll use the Él/Ella/Usted (third-person singular) form of SER Es
This is due to singular/plural rules

8. Singular & Plural Rules
Pay attention to the number of the hour in order to determine if you need to use “Son” or “Es” when telling the time in Spanish
1:00-1:30 Es
All other times (2:00-12:00)
Son
We use the plural form of SER because the number itself is plural
Represents more than 1 (Think in quantity)

9. Putting It All Together
It’s 1:00 p.m.
Es la una de la tarde.
It’s 11:30 a.m.
Son las once y media de la mañana.
It’s 8:05 p.m.
Son las ocho y cinco de la noche.