qué hora es
/ke oɾa es/from spelling rules
The English phrase "time it is" is expressed in Spanish as qué hora es.
Qué hora es is a question used to ask for the current time of day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "what hour it is".
How does it change in a sentence?
In written Spanish, it is standard to use both opening and closing question marks: ¿Qué hora es? When answering the question, the grammar depends on the hour. Because 1:00 is singular, you use the singular verb es and the singular article la (e.g., Es la una). For all other hours, you must use the plural verb son and the plural article las (e.g., Son las dos).
How do you pronounce it?
/ke oɾa es/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using cuánto tiempo to ask for the current time. Although this might seem like a translation for "how much time", it is incorrect for asking the time of day. Use qué hora instead.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking qué hora es to a stranger is seen as more polite if phrased as ¿Tiene hora?, which literally means 'do you have hour'.
- The Spanish word hora comes from the Latin hōra, which was borrowed from the Ancient Greek word hṓrā.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué hora es?What time is it?
- Perdone, ¿sabe qué hora es?Excuse me, do you know what time it is?
- Disculpe, ¿me podría decir qué hora es?Excuse me, could you tell me what time it is?
Example conversation
Alejandro is walking in the street and asks Lucía for the time.
- AlejandroHola, ¿qué hora es?Hello, what time is it?
- LucíaSon las tres de la tarde.It is three in the afternoon.
- AlejandroMuchas gracias.Thank you very much.
- LucíaDe nada, que tengas buen día.You're welcome, have a good day.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, hora, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
