es hora
/es oɾa/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "it is time" is expressed as es hora.
The phrase es hora is used to indicate that the appropriate, scheduled or natural moment for an action to occur has arrived.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb es (it is) and the noun hora (hour/time).
Which one should you use?
Es el momento de is a more formal alternative. If you want to emphasize that a particular moment has specifically arrived, you can use the formal phrase Ha llegado el momento de. Conversely, the informal expression Va siendo hora de is used specifically when something should have already happened.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you follow the phrase with an infinitive verb, you must include the preposition de, forming es hora de. If the subject of the sentence changes (for example, 'It is time that we go'), you must use es hora de que followed by the subjunctive mood.
How do you pronounce it?
/es oɾa/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying es hora can be a polite way to signal that a social gathering is ending without explicitly telling guests to leave.
- The Spanish word hora descends from the Ancient Greek hṓrā, which originally referred to a season or a specific point in a cycle rather than just sixty minutes.
- Using va siendo hora instead of es hora changes the meaning from a neutral observation to a pointed expression of impatience, similar to saying 'it is high time' in English.
Examples in context
- Es hora de ir al colegio.It is time to go to school.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase es hora with the infinitive 'ir'.Tatoeba #540298 by Shishir, translation #31415 by CC
- Es hora de irse a la cama.It is time to go to bed.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase es hora with the infinitive 'irse'.Tatoeba #862560 by ildefonk, translation #31223 by CC
- Es hora de estudiar japonés.It is time to study Japanese.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase es hora with the infinitive 'estudiar'.Tatoeba #619616 by Shishir, translation #619586 by ulyssemc1
- Es hora de irnosIt's time to go
- Es el momento de actuarIt's time to act
- Ha llegado el momento de decidirThe time has come to decide
- Es el instante adecuado para comenzarIt is the right moment to start
- Es hora de comerIt's time to eat
- Ya es momento de irnosIt's time to leave now
- Va siendo hora de estudiarIt's about time to study
- Oye, ya es hora de salir.Hey, it's time to go.
- Ha llegado el momento de iniciar la entrevista.The time has come to start the interview.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are at a restaurant and are finished eating.
- LucíaYa es hora de pagar la cuenta.It is time to pay the bill now.
- MateoTienes razón, busquemos al camarero.You are right, let's look for the waiter.
- LucíaEs hora de salir si queremos llegar a tiempo.It is time to leave if we want to arrive on time.
- MateoVale, vamos a salir ya.Okay, let's leave now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, hora, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
