son las seis
/son las seis/from spelling rules
To say it is six o'clock in Spanish, use son las seis.
son las seis states the current time when it is six.
What does it mean word for word?
son means they are and las seis means the six, so the phrase literally says they are the six. Spanish uses a plural verb and article for every hour except one.
Which one should you use?
Use son las seis to say what time it is, and a las seis to say that something happens at six.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say six in the morning, use las seis de la mañana. For six in the afternoon or evening, use las seis de la tarde. For exactly six in the evening, say Son las seis en punto de la tarde.
How do you pronounce it?
In IPA it is /son las seis/.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying son las seis in the evening signals the time for la merienda, a traditional light snack that bridges the gap between a late lunch and a very late dinner.
- Spanish speakers often use the phrase en punto to mean 'on the dot', but it literally translates to 'in point', treating the exact hour as a precise geometric point on a clock face.
- The article las used in son las seis comes from the Latin 'illās', which originally meant 'those'.
Examples in context
- Son las seis en punto.It is six o'clock.
- Son las seis de la tarde en punto.It is six o'clock in the afternoon.
- Son las seis de la noche en punto.It is six o'clock at night.
- Mira el reloj, son las seis.Look at the clock, it is six o'clock.
- Ya son las seis de la tarde.It is already six o'clock in the afternoon.
- No te preocupes, son las seis en punto.Don't worry, it is six o'clock sharp.
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are checking the time before leaving for dinner.
- Daniel¿Qué hora es ahora?What time is it now?
- ElenaSon las seis, Daniel.It is six o'clock, Daniel.
- DanielPerfecto, tenemos tiempo para salir.Perfect, we have time to leave.
- ElenaSí, vamos a prepararnos.Yes, let's get ready.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries las, seis, son, CC BY-SA 4.0.
