zona horaria
/ˌθona oˈɾaɾja/feminine
The English phrase "time zone" is translated into Spanish as zona horaria. Wiktionary also lists huso horario and fuso horario (disused).
Meaning: range of longitudes where a common standard time is used (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| zona horaria | /ˌθona oˈɾaɾja/ /ˌsona oˈɾaɾja/ |
feminine |
| huso horario | /ˌuso oˈɾaɾjo/ | masculine |
| fuso horario (disused) | masculine |
This term refers to the range of longitudes where a common standard time is used.
What does it mean word for word?
The term huso horario comes from the word huso, which literally means "spindle". This refers to the shape of the longitudinal strips used to define time zones.
Which one should you use?
While zona horaria is common in everyday speech, huso horario is the more technical or formal term used in geography and official contexts. The form fuso horario is also a formal way to say time zone, but it is now disused.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, use zonas horarias for the feminine form and husos horarios for the masculine form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌθona oˈɾaɾja/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word huso is a cognate of the English word 'fuse', as both derive from the Latin fūsus.
- In Spanish, the word horario does double duty as both an adjective meaning 'hourly' and a noun meaning 'schedule' or 'timetable'.
Examples in context
- Es de mañana aquí en mi huso horario.It's morning here in my time zone.This sentence uses huso horario to describe a personal time zone.Tatoeba #1205441 by cueyayotl, translation #1202226 by CK
- ¿A qué zona horaria pertenece el país?Which time zone does the country belong to?This sentence uses zona horaria to ask about a country's time zone.Tatoeba #11218002 by carlosalberto, translation #11217998 by carlosalberto
- ¿En qué zona horaria se encuentra?In which time zone are you?
- Nos encontramos en diferentes fusos horariosWe are in different time zones
- El huso horario de Nueva York es GMT-4The time zone of New York is GMT-4
- Debemos considerar la zona horaria de la reunión.We must consider the time zone of the meeting.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are planning a video call.
- Mateo¿En qué zona horaria estás tú ahora?In which time zone are you now?
- LucíaEstoy en una zona horaria distinta a la tuya.I am in a different time zone than yours.
- MateoEntonces será difícil fijar una hora.Then it will be difficult to set a time.
- LucíaNo te preocupes, lo resolveremos.Don't worry, we will solve it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “time zone” translations and entries zona horaria, huso horario, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries horario, huso, zona, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
