16 listening comprehension phrases to learn how to tell time in Spanish 🕐
Telling time in Spanish is quite easy. You just need to know the numbers and the vocabulary of time. However, it can be very difficult to understand when a person speaks fast and tells you the time.
This exercise has 16 phrases to train your ear and understand better.
How does the exercise work?
Listen to each audio clip: a native Spanish speaker says the time naturally, just as they would in a real conversation. Then choose the clock that shows that time from four options. There are 16 questions in total. When you finish, you will see your score and can repeat the exercise as many times as you like to improve.
A quick review before the exercise
In Spanish we use son las to tell the time:
– Son las cuatro y diez (4:10)
If we talk about one o’clock (1:00), we use es la:
– Es la una y veinte (1:20)
Use y and menos to say the minutes:
• Son las tres y cinco (3:05)
• Son las tres menos cinco (2:55)
In Latin America, the phrase faltan… (minutes) para las… (hours) is also very common:
– Faltan veinte para las nueve (8:40)
It is exactly the same as «son las nueve menos veinte».
For 15 minutes:
– Son las ocho y cuarto (8:15)
– Son las ocho menos cuarto (7:45)
– Falta un cuarto para las ocho (7:45)
Some people say y tres cuartos for 45 minutes:
• Son las 7 y tres cuartos (7:45)
Spanish uses AM and PM, but it is more natural to say de la mañana (morning), de la tarde (afternoon) or de la noche (evening):
– Son las 9 AM = Son las nueve de la mañana
– Son las 9 PM = Son las nueve de la noche
📖 Want to learn more about how to write the time correctly in Spanish? The Real Academia Española has a complete guide: how to express the time in Spanish (RAE).
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What expressions will you hear in this exercise?
This exercise includes the most common ways to say the time in Spanish. Here is a summary so you can recognise them easily:
Son las / Es la
The basic structure. Use son las for all hours except one o’clock, which always uses es la:
– Son las tres y cuarto ✅
– Es la una y media ✅
Y media / Y cuarto / Menos cuarto
The most common expressions for 30 and 15 minutes:
– Son las ocho y media (8:30)
– Son las nueve y cuarto (9:15)
– Son las nueve menos cuarto (8:45)
De la mañana / De la tarde / De la noche
The natural way to distinguish AM from PM in Spanish:
– Son las nueve de la mañana = 9:00 AM
– Son las nueve de la noche = 9:00 PM
Del día / De la noche (noon and midnight)
For twelve o’clock, Spanish uses del día or de la noche instead of AM/PM:
– Son las doce del día (12:00 PM — noon)
– Son las doce de la noche (12:00 AM — midnight)
Faltan… para las… (Latin America)
Very common in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and other countries. It says how many minutes are left until the next hour:
– Faltan diez para las cuatro = 3:50
– Falta un cuarto para las diez = 9:45
Keep practicing your Spanish
✏️ Other exercises you might like:
📅 Vocabulary: calendar and subdivision of time
📚 See all Spanish exercises
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