Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to tell time in Spanish and name the days of the week.
Lesson Explanation
Telling time in Spanish uses the verb ser (from Part 1, Lesson 5), and genuinely differs from English in one key way: it is singular (es) only for one o’clock, and plural (son) for every other hour:
Es la una. — It is one o'clock. Son las dos. — It is two o'clock. Son las tres y media. — It is three thirty. (literally "three and a half") Son las cuatro y cuarto. — It is four fifteen. (literally "four and a quarter") Son las cinco menos cuarto. — It is a quarter to five. (literally "five minus a quarter")
Days of the week (genuinely important: they are NOT capitalized in Spanish, unlike English):
lunes Monday martes Tuesday miércoles Wednesday jueves Thursday viernes Friday sábado Saturday domingo Sunday
To say “on” a particular day, Spanish uses the definite article rather than a separate word for “on”: el lunes (on Monday), los lunes (on Mondays, every week) — there is no separate word equivalent to English “on” in this context.
Practice Questions
1. Which verb is used to tell time in Spanish?
View Answer
Ser.
2. Write “It is one o’clock.”
View Answer
Es la una.
3. Is “es” or “son” used for two o’clock and beyond?
View Answer
Son.
4. Write “It is two o’clock.”
View Answer
Son las dos.
5. What does “y media” literally mean, and what time expression does it give?
View Answer
“And a half” — used for the half hour (:30).
6. What does “menos cuarto” literally mean?
View Answer
“Minus a quarter” — used for quarter to the hour.
7. Are Spanish days of the week capitalized?
View Answer
No.
8. Write the Spanish word for “Monday.”
View Answer
Lunes.
9. Write the Spanish word for “Friday.”
View Answer
Viernes.
10. Write the Spanish word for “Sunday.”
View Answer
Domingo.
11. How does Spanish express “on Monday” — with a special word for “on,” or an article?
View Answer
With the definite article: el lunes.
12. Write “on Mondays” (every week, plural/recurring).
View Answer
Los lunes.