la hora del café
/la oɾa del kafe/from spelling rules
In Spanish, coffee time is la hora del café.
This phrase refers to a scheduled break or a specific moment in the day dedicated to drinking coffee.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of la hora (the hour or time), del (of the) and café (coffee).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the variation tomar un café is used to mean 'to have a coffee'. In Mexico, you might hear tomar un cafecito or la hora del cafecito when referring to coffee time.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the definite article la because hora is a feminine noun.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, la hora del café is less about the caffeine and more about sobremesa, the tradition of lingering at the table long after a meal to converse.
- The word café shares an ancient ancestor with the Arabic word qahwa, which originally referred to a type of wine before becoming synonymous with coffee.
- In some Latin American contexts, la hora del café can be used as a social signal to pause all work and professional hierarchies to bond as equals.
Examples in context
- Después del almuerzo, nos vemos en la cocina para la Hora del Cafecito.After lunch, let's meet in the kitchen for coffee time.
- La hora del café es mi momento favorito.Coffee time is my favorite moment.
Example conversation
Two coworkers in an office deciding to take a break.
- Sofía¿Quieres ir por un café, Javier?Do you want to go for a coffee, Javier?
- JavierSí, ya es la hora del café.Yes, it is coffee time.
- SofíaPerfecto, vamos a la cocina.Perfect, let's go to the kitchen.
- JavierVamos, Sofía.Let's go, Sofia.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries café, del, hora, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
