To ask the time in Spanish, say ¿Qué hora es? The answer uses es la una for one o'clock and son las plus the number for every other hour. Around the clock sit the words this guide covers: hoy, mañana and ayer for today, tomorrow and yesterday, the parts of the day from mañana to noche, and the units hora, minuto, día, semana, mes and año. Here is the full set with native audio, plus the trap where mañana means both morning and tomorrow. The days of the week and the months live in their own guide.
The time words, with audio
This is the telling-time slice of Vocabcord's A1 Spanish set: today, tomorrow and yesterday, the parts of the day, and the units you count time in. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The days of the week and the months have a guide of their own, together with the lowercase rule that catches English speakers.
| Spanish | English | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| hoy | today | Today is a good day. |
| mañana | tomorrow | See you tomorrow. |
| ayer | yesterday | We met yesterday. |
| ahora | now | I am leaving now. |
| más tarde | later | I will call you later. |
| mañana | morning | Good morning, everyone. |
| tarde | afternoon | In the afternoon, we relax. |
| tarde | evening | Evening light is beautiful. |
| noche | night | Good night, sleep well. |
| hora | hour | One hour from now. |
| minuto | minute | Wait a minute, please. |
| día | day | Have a nice day. |
| semana | week | Next week we travel. |
| mes | month | This month is busy. |
| año | year | Happy New Year! |
mañana: morning or tomorrow?
The trap in this set is that mañana does two jobs. On its own it usually means tomorrow (hasta mañana, see you tomorrow). Put por la in front and it means the morning (por la mañana, in the morning). The word tarde works the same way, covering both afternoon and evening, which is exactly why the greeting buenas tardes stretches across both. Context tells you which sense is meant.
Telling the time
To ask the time, say ¿Qué hora es? The answer uses the verb ser: es la una for one o'clock (singular, because it is just one), and son las for everything else, as in son las tres (it is three). Add y media for half past and y cuarto for quarter past, so half past two is son las dos y media. If the numbers feel shaky, the Spanish numbers guide covers them from zero to a hundred.
Tie them to the clock
Time words carry their own repetition schedule: hoy and mañana turn up in the first real plan you make, and the clock asks for son las ocho every single day. Say the hour to yourself whenever you check the time, reach for hasta mañana when you sign off for the night, and the whole set settles within a week or two. Vocabcord covers the rest of the corpus the same way: plug in your phone and one phrase plays out loud, spaced to come back right before it fades.
Common questions
How do you tell the time in Spanish?
Ask ¿Qué hora es? Answer with es la una for one o'clock, and son las plus the number for the rest, as in son las cuatro (it is four). Add y media for half past and y cuarto for quarter past.
Does mañana mean morning or tomorrow?
Both. On its own, mañana usually means tomorrow. With por la in front, por la mañana means in the morning. Context makes it clear which one you mean.
How do you say today, tomorrow, and yesterday in Spanish?
Today is hoy, tomorrow is mañana, and yesterday is ayer. Spanish also gives you ahora for now and más tarde for later, which cover most everyday plans.
What are the parts of the day in Spanish?
mañana is the morning, tarde covers both the afternoon and the evening, and noche is the night. You hear them inside the greetings buenos días, buenas tardes, and buenas noches.
