hora de
/oɾa de/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "time for" is expressed as hora de.
This phrase is used to indicate that it is the appropriate moment to perform a specific activity.
Which one should you use?
While hora de translates to "time for", if you want to express the complete sentence "It is time for" in Spanish, you must include the verb es to create the full phrase es hora de.
How does it change in a sentence?
When followed by a noun, use hora de to indicate the appropriate time for a specific thing. When followed by a verb, use the infinitive form of that verb to say it is time to do an action.
How do you pronounce it?
/oɾa de/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word hora comes from the Ancient Greek word hṓrā, which originally referred to a season or a division of time rather than a specific sixty-minute hour.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you ask ¿Qué hora es?, you are asking for the current time, but if you say ¿A qué hora?, you are asking for the specific time an event will occur.
- While hora de is used for tasks, the word tiempo is used for 'time' in the sense of the passage of time or the weather, so you cannot use it to say 'it is time for bed'.
Examples in context
- Faltan cinco para las sieteIt is five to seven
- Es hora de comer.It is time to eat.
- Es hora de la siesta.It is time for the nap.
- Es hora de estudiar para el examen.It is time to study for the exam.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are at a restaurant at the end of the evening.
- Lucía¿Tienes mucha hambre, Alejandro?Are you very hungry, Alejandro?
- AlejandroNo, pero ya es hora de irnos.No, but it is time for us to leave.
- LucíaTienes razón, es hora de volver a casa.You are right, it is time to go home.
- AlejandroVamos, que mañana tengo que trabajar.Let's go, because I have to work tomorrow.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, hora, CC BY-SA 4.0.
