marcar
/maɾˈkaɾ/
To clock in at work in Spanish is marcar.
marcar means to record your arrival at work with a machine or system. Marcar la entrada spells out that you are clocking in rather than out.
Which one should you use?
fichar is a very common synonym for recording work hours. Registrar la entrada is a formal phrase, literally to register the entrance.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Colombia you may hear marcar tarjeta.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /maɾˈkaɾ/.
Did you know?
- The word marcar is highly versatile and can also mean 'to dial' a phone number or 'to score' a goal in a football match. The common thread is the act of making a precise mark or record.
- In various Latin American countries, the act of clocking in is often associated with the phrase pasar lista, which is the same phrase used by teachers to take attendance in a classroom.
- The synonym fichar comes from the word ficha, which refers to a physical token or card. It evokes the era when workers had to insert a physical cardboard slip into a machine to record their hours.
Examples in context
- ¿Cómo se registra la entrada?How do you clock in?
- No olvides marcar al llegar.Don't forget to clock in when you arrive.
- Tengo que marcar antes de entrar.I have to clock in before entering.
Example conversation
At the entrance of an office building.
- JavierHola Lucía, ¿ya marcaste?Hello Lucía, did you clock in already?
- LucíaNo, lo olvidé por la prisa.No, I forgot it because I was in a hurry.
- JavierVe a marcar ahora mismo.Go clock in right now.
- LucíaTienes razón, iré ahora.You are right, I will go now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry marcar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
