Time vocabulary - the days of the week, the names of the months, the phrases for telling time, and the adverbs that place events in sequence (ayer, hoy, manana) - constitutes one of the earliest and most practical sets a Spanish learner should master. These words appear in nearly every conversation: scheduling a meeting, buying a ticket, recounting a weekend, asking when the pharmacy closes. Spanish handles time slightly differently from English - months and days are not capitalized, the week begins on lunes rather than Sunday, and telling time uses the distinction between es la una (singular) and son las tres (plural) that beginners routinely get wrong.
This reference assembles the full time lexicon: days, months, seasons, parts of the day, the system for telling clock time including the 24-hour format widely used in Spain, and the temporal adverbs that allow a speaker to locate events in the past, present, or future. It also covers the key prepositions (en, a, por, de) that govern time expressions. For the grammar behind these structures, see the Spanish grammar rules guide and the Spanish por vs para reference.
The Days of the Week
Table 1. Days of the week.
| Spanish | English | Etymology |
|---|---|---|
| lunes | Monday | dies Lunae (day of the Moon) |
| martes | Tuesday | dies Martis (day of Mars) |
| miercoles | Wednesday | dies Mercurii (day of Mercury) |
| jueves | Thursday | dies Iovis (day of Jupiter) |
| viernes | Friday | dies Veneris (day of Venus) |
| sabado | Saturday | sabbatum (Sabbath) |
| domingo | Sunday | dies Dominica (day of the Lord) |
Several rules about days apply.
- They are not capitalized. Unlike English, Spanish writes days in lowercase: el lunes, not el Lunes.
- They are masculine. All seven: el lunes, el martes, el miercoles.
- They are singular and plural without spelling change, except sabado/domingo. El lunes and los lunes are both spelled lunes. Only sabado/sabados and domingo/domingos add -s.
- The week starts on Monday. Calendars in Spanish-speaking countries begin the week with lunes, not domingo. This is the standard ISO ordering.
Using days in sentences.
- El lunes voy al medico - On Monday I'm going to the doctor.
- Los lunes voy al gimnasio - On Mondays (habitually) I go to the gym.
- Hoy es jueves - Today is Thursday.
- Nos vemos el sabado - See you Saturday.
Notice that Spanish does not use "on" for days - "on Monday" is simply el lunes. The article el alone carries the "on" meaning. Do not say en lunes.
The Months of the Year
Table 2. Months.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| enero | January |
| febrero | February |
| marzo | March |
| abril | April |
| mayo | May |
| junio | June |
| julio | July |
| agosto | August |
| septiembre / setiembre | September |
| octubre | October |
| noviembre | November |
| diciembre | December |
- Months are not capitalized. Like days: enero, not Enero.
- Months are masculine. El enero del ano pasado - last January.
- Septiembre has a spelling variant. Setiembre (without the p) is an accepted alternative, more common in some Latin American countries. Septiembre remains the standard.
Using months.
- Mi cumpleanos es en mayo - My birthday is in May.
- Nacio el 12 de marzo - He/she was born on March 12.
- La reunion es el 3 de octubre - The meeting is on October 3.
Spanish expresses dates in the order day-month-year. "15/3/2025" means March 15, not March 3. Never reverse this; it causes appointment confusion.
Seasons
Table 3. Seasons.
| Spanish | English | Typical timing (Northern Hemisphere) |
|---|---|---|
| la primavera | spring | March-May |
| el verano | summer | June-August |
| el otono | autumn / fall | September-November |
| el invierno | winter | December-February |
In the Southern Hemisphere - Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, most of the Spanish-speaking southern cone - the seasons are reversed. Christmas falls in el verano (summer) in Argentina.
The Spanish also use la estacion seca (dry season) and la estacion lluviosa (wet season) in tropical regions where the four-season model does not apply. In Caribbean Spanish and Central America, this binary often replaces primavera/verano/otono/invierno in practice.
Parts of the Day
Table 4. Times of day.
| Spanish | English | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| la madrugada | early morning (before dawn) | 00:00-06:00 |
| la manana | morning | 06:00-12:00 |
| el mediodia | noon | 12:00-14:00 |
| la tarde | afternoon / early evening | 12:00-20:00 |
| la noche | evening / night | 20:00-24:00 |
Expressing time with parts of the day.
- Por la manana / En la manana - In the morning (Spain / Latin America)
- A las tres de la tarde - At three in the afternoon
- A las diez de la noche - At ten at night
Spanish uses de la manana, de la tarde, de la noche when giving a specific clock time - "a las tres de la tarde" - and por la manana / por la tarde / por la noche when talking about the period generally - "trabajo por la tarde" (I work in the afternoon). In most of Latin America, en la manana / en la tarde / en la noche replaces por la + part of day.
The word la madrugada has no single English equivalent. It refers to the small-hours stretch from midnight to dawn, the time a person might come home very late, write poetry, or worry about insomnia. A las tres de la madrugada is 3 a.m.; a las tres de la tarde is 3 p.m. Learners who miss the distinction end up scheduling meetings at impossible hours.
Telling the Time
The fundamental rule. Use es for "one o'clock" and son for every other hour.
- Es la una - It is one o'clock.
- Son las dos - It is two o'clock.
- Son las tres - It is three o'clock.
- Son las doce - It is twelve o'clock (noon or midnight).
Table 5. Telling time.
| Clock | Spanish |
|---|---|
| 1:00 | Es la una |
| 2:00 | Son las dos |
| 3:00 | Son las tres |
| 2:15 | Son las dos y cuarto / Son las dos y quince |
| 2:30 | Son las dos y media / Son las dos y treinta |
| 2:45 | Son las tres menos cuarto / Son las dos y cuarenta y cinco |
| 2:40 | Son las tres menos veinte / Son las dos y cuarenta |
| 12:00 | Es mediodia (noon) / Es medianoche (midnight) |
| 3:05 | Son las tres y cinco |
Key minute markers.
- y cuarto = quarter past
- y media = half past
- menos cuarto = quarter to
The "menos" structure (menos cuarto, menos veinte) is standard in Spain and formal Latin American speech; simpler forms (son las dos cuarenta y cinco) are more common in casual Latin American speech.
The 24-Hour Clock
Spain uses the 24-hour clock almost exclusively for schedules, transit, and business: 15:30 instead of 3:30 p.m. When speaking, Spaniards often read "15:30" aloud as las quince treinta or las tres y media de la tarde; both are correct.
In Latin America, the 24-hour clock is common for official schedules (bus timetables, television, cinema) but 12-hour speech is the norm in conversation. A ticket printed as "14:30" will be read aloud as las dos y media de la tarde in Mexico.
Table 6. 24-hour to 12-hour conversion.
| 24-hour | Spoken Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | medianoche | midnight |
| 06:30 | las seis y media de la manana | 6:30 a.m. |
| 12:00 | mediodia | noon |
| 13:00 | la una de la tarde | 1 p.m. |
| 15:30 | las tres y media de la tarde | 3:30 p.m. |
| 18:00 | las seis de la tarde | 6 p.m. |
| 20:00 | las ocho de la noche | 8 p.m. |
| 21:30 | las nueve y media de la noche | 9:30 p.m. |
| 23:45 | las doce menos cuarto / las once y cuarenta y cinco | 11:45 p.m. |
Asking About Time
Table 7. Time questions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¿Que hora es? | What time is it? |
| ¿A que hora? | At what time? |
| ¿Tienes hora? | Do you have the time? (informal) |
| ¿Me puede decir la hora? | Can you tell me the time? |
| ¿Cuando? | When? |
| ¿Que dia es hoy? | What day is today? |
| ¿A cuantos estamos? | What's the date today? (Spain) |
| ¿Que fecha es hoy? | What's today's date? |
| ¿En que ano? | In what year? |
Past, Present, and Future Words
Table 8. Temporal adverbs.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ahora | now |
| ahorita | right now / soon (Mexico: "in a while") |
| hoy | today |
| ayer | yesterday |
| anteayer / antier | the day before yesterday |
| manana | tomorrow |
| pasado manana | the day after tomorrow |
| esta manana | this morning |
| esta tarde | this afternoon |
| esta noche | tonight |
| anoche | last night |
| anteanoche | the night before last |
| la semana pasada | last week |
| la semana que viene / la proxima semana | next week |
| el mes pasado | last month |
| el proximo mes | next month |
| el ano pasado | last year |
| el proximo ano / el ano que viene | next year |
| hace dos dias | two days ago |
| dentro de dos dias | in two days |
| pronto | soon |
| tarde | late |
| temprano | early |
| siempre | always |
| nunca / jamas | never |
| a veces | sometimes |
| a menudo | often |
| rara vez | rarely |
| de vez en cuando | from time to time |
Ahorita is a classic Mexican-Spanish trap. In most varieties ahorita means "right now." In Mexican usage, it often means "in a while" or "in a bit" - not immediately. A Mexican who tells you ahorita vengo (literally "I'm coming right now") may mean in fifteen minutes or an hour. Ahora mismo or ya are more precise for "right this instant."
Key Prepositions with Time
Table 9. Prepositions of time.
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | at (specific time) | a las tres |
| en | in (year, month, season) | en 2025, en enero, en verano |
| de | in, of, from | la clase de las diez |
| por | during (period), approximate | por la manana, por dos horas |
| desde | since | desde ayer |
| hasta | until | hasta manana |
| antes de | before | antes de las tres |
| despues de | after | despues de comer |
| durante | during | durante la clase |
| hace | ago | hace dos anos |
| dentro de | in (future) | dentro de una hora |
For the por vs para distinction in time and beyond, see the Spanish por vs para reference.
Common Mistakes
- Capitalizing days and months. Do not write "Lunes" or "Enero." Spanish lowercases both.
- Using "es" for every hour. Only Es la una. Everything else is Son las + number.
- Saying manana with the same tone for "morning" and "tomorrow." La manana (the morning) and manana (tomorrow) differ only by article - la is essential for "morning."
- Confusing ahorita in Mexico. It often means "soon," not "right now." Use ya or ahora mismo for true immediacy.
- Reversing the date order. Spanish writes day/month/year; 5/3/2025 is March 5, not May 3.
- Saying en lunes. The correct form is el lunes or los lunes.
- Using el proximo lunes with past frames. "El proximo lunes" is always future; use el lunes pasado for last Monday.
- Saying noches to mean "night." Buenas noches is the greeting; la noche is the noun. "Anoche" (one word) means "last night," not "night yesterday."
Quick Reference Cheat Sheet
Core 20 time phrases.
- ¿Que hora es? - What time is it?
- Es la una / Son las dos - It is one / two.
- A las tres - At three.
- Y cuarto / y media / menos cuarto - quarter past / half past / quarter to.
- De la manana / de la tarde / de la noche - a.m. / p.m. midday / p.m. evening.
- Por / en la manana / tarde / noche - in the morning / afternoon / evening.
- Hoy, ayer, manana - today, yesterday, tomorrow.
- Anoche, esta noche - last night, tonight.
- La semana que viene / el ano que viene - next week / next year.
- El lunes pasado / el proximo lunes - last Monday / next Monday.
- Hace dos dias - two days ago.
- Dentro de una hora - in an hour.
- Desde ayer - since yesterday.
- Hasta manana - until tomorrow.
- Temprano / tarde - early / late.
- Pronto - soon.
- Siempre / nunca / a veces - always / never / sometimes.
- Mediodia / medianoche - noon / midnight.
- La madrugada - the small hours.
- ¿A cuantos estamos? - What's the date?
FAQ
Are days and months capitalized in Spanish?
No. Spanish writes days (lunes, martes) and months (enero, febrero) in lowercase, unlike English. Capitalize them only at the start of a sentence.
How do I say "on Monday" in Spanish?
Just el lunes. Spanish does not use a preposition equivalent to English "on" with days: El lunes voy al trabajo = "On Monday I go to work." For a habitual event, use los lunes: Los lunes voy al gimnasio (I go to the gym on Mondays).
When do I use es and when do I use son for time?
Use Es only for one o'clock (Es la una) and for midnight/noon named as such (Es mediodia, Es medianoche). All other hours are plural: Son las dos, Son las tres, etc. The rule matches the noun hora / horas.
What's the difference between manana (tomorrow) and la manana (morning)?
Spacing and article. Manana (alone, no article) means tomorrow. La manana (with article) means the morning. Manana por la manana means "tomorrow morning."
How do Spanish speakers write the date?
Day-month-year: 5/3/2025 is March 5, 2025, not May 3. Written out, it is el 5 de marzo de 2025 or 5 de marzo, 2025. Never use the American month-first order.
What does ahorita really mean?
In most Spanish-speaking countries ahorita is a diminutive of ahora and means "right now." In Mexican Spanish, however, ahorita commonly means "in a while" or "soon" - a notorious source of miscommunication. To be precise, say ahora mismo (right this moment) or ya (now, already).
How do I tell someone the time in a 24-hour format?
In Spain, 15:30 is commonly spoken as las quince treinta or las tres y media de la tarde. Both are correct. Schedules, timetables, and official times use the 24-hour format almost exclusively in Spain; Latin America prints 24-hour on schedules but speaks in 12-hour usually.
See Also
- Spanish grammar rules complete beginners guide
- Spanish common phrases for daily conversation
- Spanish por vs para complete usage reference
- Spanish verb conjugation guide present tense
- Spanish past tense preterite vs imperfect
- Ser vs estar complete guide with examples
- Spanish alphabet pronunciation guide
- Verb tense systems compared across languages
Frequently Asked Questions
Are days and months capitalized in Spanish?
No. Spanish writes days (lunes, martes) and months (enero, febrero) in lowercase. Capitalize them only at the start of a sentence.
How do I say 'on Monday' in Spanish?
Just el lunes. Spanish does not use a preposition equivalent to English 'on' with days: El lunes voy al trabajo. For habitual use, los lunes.
When do I use es and when do I use son for time?
Use Es only for one o'clock (Es la una) and for midnight/noon (Es mediodia, Es medianoche). All other hours are plural: Son las dos, Son las tres.
What's the difference between manana and la manana?
Manana (alone) means tomorrow. La manana (with article) means the morning. Manana por la manana means tomorrow morning.
How do Spanish speakers write the date?
Day-month-year: 5/3/2025 is March 5, 2025, not May 3. Written out: el 5 de marzo de 2025. Never use the American month-first order.
What does ahorita really mean?
Ahorita usually means 'right now,' but in Mexican Spanish it commonly means 'in a while' or 'soon.' For true immediacy, use ahora mismo or ya.
How do I tell someone the time in 24-hour format?
In Spain, 15:30 is spoken as las quince treinta or las tres y media de la tarde. Both are correct. Spain uses 24-hour widely; Latin America prints 24-hour on schedules but speaks in 12-hour.
