ocho menos cinco
/ot͡ʃo menos θinko/from spelling rules
In Spanish, seven fifty-five is expressed as ocho menos cinco.
The phrase ocho menos cinco is used to state that the time is five minutes before six o'clock. You can also say Exactamente siete y cincuenta y cinco if you wish to emphasize that it is exactly seven fifty-five.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ocho menos cinco literally translates to eight minus five.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express minutes before the hour, Spanish uses the upcoming hour followed by menos and the number of minutes remaining. For context, the word cuarto is used for quarter past and media is used for half past.
How do you pronounce it?
/otʃo menos θinko/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, people use the phrase faltan cinco para las ocho instead of ocho menos cinco to say it is five minutes to eight.
- The word ocho shares a common ancestor with the English word 'eight' and the Ancient Greek word ὀκτώ, tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *oḱtṓw.
- If you are in a country that uses the 24-hour clock, like much of Spain, you might hear 'veinte menos cinco' to mean seven fifty-five in the evening.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are deciding when to leave for a movie.
- Lucía¡Mira la hora! Son las ocho menos cinco.Look at the time! It is five to eight.
- JavierTienes razón, Javier ya está listo.You are right, Javier is already ready.
- LucíaEntonces salgamos ahora mismo.Then let's leave right now.
- JavierVale, vamos rápidamente.Okay, let's go quickly.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cinco, menos, ocho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
