Spanish Time Subdivisions: Calendar and Clock

How do we divide time in Spanish?

Mastering months and days is just the beginning. To speak like a native, you need to know the expressions we use for time subdivisions and the temporal markers that place our actions on the calendar.

In this article, we will explore everything from fractions of an hour to annual periods, so you never get lost in a conversation about schedules or dates again.

1. The Subdivision of the Year: Months and Periods

A year can be grouped in different ways depending on whether we are talking about academic, financial, or personal contexts. Here are the most common forms:

Term	Duration
Un bimestre	2 months
Un trimestre	3 months
Un cuatrimestre	4 months
Un semestre	6 months

Cultural Note: In Spain and Latin America, it is very common to use “trimestres” (quarters) when referring to school reports or tax payments.

2. The Clock: Fractions of an Hour and Minutes

We don’t always use exact numbers to tell the time. We often divide the hour into fractions to make communication faster:

• Un cuarto de hora: 15 minutes.
• Media hora: 30 minutes.
• Tres cuartos de hora: 45 minutes.
• Una hora y media: 90 minutes.
• Una hora y tres cuartos: 1 hour and 45 minutes (105 minutes).

3. Temporal Markers: When did it happen?

To use verb tenses correctly (past, present, and future), it is vital to master these reference markers:

• Anteayer: The day before yesterday.
• Ayer: Yesterday.
• Hoy: Today (the present day).
• Mañana: Tomorrow.
• Pasado mañana: The day after tomorrow.
• El fin de semana: Saturday and Sunday (colloquially called “el finde”).

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Interactive Exercise: Calendar and Temporal Markers

Have you mastered these expressions yet? Test your vocabulary with this 20-question Video Quiz.

Instructions:

1. Read the expression or the time indicated.
2. Choose the correct image that represents that subdivision.
3. Listen carefully! If you get it right, you will hear a full sentence using that vocabulary to improve your listening skills.

Remember that you can repeat the exercise several times to learn and memorize all the words and phrases. This way, your Spanish will improve a lot in a short time.

Transcripción / Transcript (Español – English)

• Un día son veinticuatro horas. — A day is twenty-four hours.
• Una semana son siete días. — A week is seven days.
• Un mes. Junio tiene treinta días. — A month. June has thirty days.
• Un año tiene doce meses. — A year has twelve months.
• Hoy es jueves. — Today is Thursday.
• Ayer era miércoles. — Yesterday was Wednesday.
• Mañana es viernes. — Tomorrow is Friday.
• Pasado mañana es sábado. — The day after tomorrow is Saturday.
• Anteayer era martes. — The day before yesterday was Tuesday.
• El sábado y el domingo son el fin de semana. — Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.
• Un minuto son sesenta segundos. — A minute is sixty seconds.
• Una hora son sesenta minutos. — An hour is sixty minutes.
• Una hora y media son noventa minutos. — An hour and a half is ninety minutes.
• Media hora son treinta minutos. — Half an hour is thirty minutes.
• Un cuarto de hora son quince minutos. — A quarter of an hour is fifteen minutes.
• Una hora y tres cuartos son ciento cinco minutos. — An hour and three quarters are one hundred and five minutes.
• Tres cuartos de hora son cuarenta y cinco minutos. — Three quarters of an hour are forty-five minutes.
• Un bimestre son dos meses. — A bimester is two months.
• Un semestre son seis meses. — A semester is six months.
• Un trimestre son tres meses. — A trimester is three months.

✏️ You can also practice…
Comprensión auditiva: 15 frases cortas muy usadas en español

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