Time is one of the most frequently discussed topics in any language. Whether you are talking about your weekend plans, scheduling a meeting or asking when the next train departs, mastering Spanish time vocabulary is essential for everyday communication.
In this page you will find everything related to time in Spanish. Explore our specific lessons below to expand your vocabulary from basic clock-reading to complex time expressions.
👉 Looking to practice reading the clock? Don't miss our interactive clock for Telling Time in Spanish!
Spanish Lessons about Time
What will you learn?
With these lessons about time in Spanish, you will learn things like these:
- Telling the time: learn how to tell the time in Spanish with lessons that guide you through using phrases like "Es la una" (It’s one o’clock) and "Son las tres y media" (It’s three-thirty), with plenty of examples and tips.
- Dates, days of the week and months of the year: master the vocabulary for the days of the week ("lunes", "martes", etc.) and months of the year ("enero", "febrero", etc.). These lessons cover how to use these words in sentences, along with common expressions for talking about dates.
- Expressions for parts of the day: learn how to refer to different parts of the day, such as "mañana" (morning), "tarde" (afternoon), and "noche" (night), as well as useful phrases like "por la mañana" (in the morning) and "a medianoche" (at midnight).
- Time expressions for frequency: understand how to express frequency with words like "siempre" (always), "a menudo" (often), "nunca" (never) and "a veces" (sometimes) with lessons that will help you describe how often things happen with ease.
- Seasons and weather-related time vocabulary: discover vocabulary for the four seasons ("primavera", "verano", "otoño", "invierno") and learn how to use them in everyday conversation. These lessons also cover helpful expressions for talking about the time of year and seasonal activities.
- Talking about the past, present and future: learn how to refer to different periods of time with phrases like "hoy" (today), "ayer" (yesterday) "mañana" (tomorrow) or "la semana pasada" (last week). These lessons provide the vocabulary you need to discuss events across various timeframes.
Vocabulary Tip: The 3 Ways to Translate "Time"
One of the biggest traps for English speakers learning Spanish time vocabulary is relying on direct translation. In English, you use the word time for almost everything. In Spanish, we use three completely different words depending on the context:
1. La hora (Clock time): Use this when referring to the specific hour on a clock or a scheduled event.
- ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
- Es la hora de comer. (It's time to eat.)
2. El tiempo (Abstract time & Weather): Use this when talking about time as a general concept, duration, or the weather.
- No tengo tiempo. (I don't have time.)
- Pasa el tiempo muy rápido. (Time goes by very fast.)
3. La vez / Las veces (Instances): use this when counting the number of occurrences or occurrences in a series.
- Fui a Madrid una vez. (I went to Madrid one time.)
- Te lo he dicho tres veces. (I have told you three times.)
Keep this rule in mind as you browse our vocabulary lessons, and you will instantly sound much more natural!