las diez y cincuenta y cinco
/las djeθ i θinkwenta i θinko/from spelling rules
In Spanish, ten fifty-five is las diez y cincuenta y cinco.
This phrase is used to state the time when it is five minutes before eleven o'clock. In Spanish, you use las with hours.
Which one should you use?
The phrase las diez y cincuenta y cinco is a literal way to say ten fifty-five. However, in many Spanish-speaking regions, it is more common to say las once menos cinco, which means eleven minus five.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase begins with the feminine plural article las because the implied noun is las horas (the hours).
How do you pronounce it?
/las djeθ i θinkwenta i θinko/
Did you know?
- The word cinco has a strange linguistic relative in the word 'ponche'. They are both 'doublets', meaning they evolved from the same Vulgar Latin source through different paths.
- In some Latin American regions, people may use the word faltan instead of menos, saying faltan cinco para las once, which means 'five are missing for eleven'.
- If you use the long form las diez y cincuenta y cinco in a casual setting, you might sound like a robot or an automated announcement rather than a person.
Examples in context
- El tren sale a las diez y cincuenta y cinco.The train leaves at ten fifty-five.
- Me desperté a las diez y cincuenta y cinco.I woke up at ten fifty-five.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are waiting for a bus.
- Lucía¿Qué hora es, Alejandro?What time is it, Alejandro?
- AlejandroSon las diez y cincuenta y cinco.It is ten fifty-five.
- LucíaEl autobús llega en cinco minutos.The bus arrives in five minutes.
- AlejandroSí, ya casi llega.Yes, it is almost here.
