las once y quince
/las onθe i kinθe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "eleven fifteen" is translated into Spanish as las once y quince.
This phrase is used to express the time when it is fifteen minutes past eleven o'clock. In many Spanish-speaking regions, it is very common to use las once y cuarto (a quarter past eleven) to express the same time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of las (the), once (eleven), y (and) and quince (fifteen).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that an event occurs 'at' eleven fifteen, you must prepend the preposition a to the phrase, resulting in a las once y quince.
How do you pronounce it?
/las onθe i kinθe/
Did you know?
- In various Spanish-speaking cultures, the hour of once is historically linked to the specific time of day when people take their mid-morning snacks.
- The word once for the number eleven comes from the Latin 'undecim', making it a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'undecillion'.
- The feminine form las is required because the word for 'hours' is implicitly understood as 'las horas', which is a feminine noun.
Examples in context
- Hoy quedamos a las once y quince para tomar un café.Today we're meeting at eleven fifteen for a coffee.
- Son las once y quince.It is eleven fifteen.
- La cita es a las once y quince.The appointment is at eleven fifteen.
- El tren sale a las once y quince.The train leaves at eleven fifteen.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are checking the schedule at a station.
- Javier¿A qué hora sale el tren?What time does the train leave?
- LucíaSale a las once y quince.It leaves at eleven fifteen.
- JavierTodavía tenemos tiempo, Lucía.We still have time, Lucía.
- LucíaSí, pero no te distraigas.Yes, but don't get distracted.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries las, once, quince, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
