español · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Clock time
Tell the time and say exactly when something happens.
Understand the choice
Ask the time and arrange events using full hours, quarters, halves, noon, and midnight. Separate telling the current time from saying an event time.
Core rule: Tell time with es la una or son las + hour; use a la or a las to say when an event happens.
Notice it in context
La reunión es a las nueve y media.
The meeting is at half past nine.
A las introduces the meeting time; nueve y media means 9:30.
Son las dos y cuarto.
It is quarter past two.
Son las tells the current time after one o'clock.
El tren sale a la una menos cuarto.
The train leaves at quarter to one.
A la is singular with una.
What to remember
- Use es la una but son las dos, tres, and so on.
- Media means half an hour here; hora is understood.
Common trap: Do not use en before a clock time; appointments happen a las ocho.