doce y diez
/doθe i djeθ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "twelve ten" is translated into Spanish as doce y diez.
This is a way to state the time when it is ten minutes past twelve.
How does it change in a sentence?
When stating the time in a full sentence, such as 'It is twelve ten', the feminine plural article 'las' is used before the hour, resulting in las doce y diez. To specifically indicate ten minutes after noon, you can say Diez minutos después del mediodía.
How do you pronounce it?
/doθe i djeθ/
Did you know?
- Unlike English, which uses 'it' as a dummy subject for time, the las in las doce y diez is a plural feminine article because it refers to the hidden word horas, meaning 'hours'.
- If you were referring to 12:10 at night, you might hear las doce y diez de la madrugada instead of 'night', as 'madrugada' refers to the very early hours before dawn.
- Because doce comes from the Latin 'duodecim', it is a direct relative of the English word 'dozen', which also refers to a group of twelve.
Examples in context
- El autobús sale a las doce diez.The bus departs at twelve ten.
- La reunión comienza a las doce y diez en punto.The meeting starts at twelve ten sharp.
- Nuestro vuelo llega al destino diez minutos después de las doce.Our flight arrives at the destination ten minutes after twelve.
- Nos vemos en el parque a las doce y diez.Let's meet at the park at twelve ten.
- Llegaré a tu casa a las diez pasadas las doce.I'll arrive at your house ten minutes past twelve.
- La película comienza a las doce y diez. ¿Nos apuramos?The movie starts at twelve ten. Should we hurry?
- La entrevista será a las doce y diez de la mañana.The interview will be at twelve ten in the morning.
- El almuerzo estará listo diez minutos después del mediodía.Lunch will be ready ten minutes after noon.
- Ya son las doce y diez.It is already twelve ten.
- La cita es a las doce y diez.The appointment is at twelve ten.
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are checking the time before a movie.
- Mateo¿Qué hora es, Elena?What time is it, Elena?
- ElenaSon las doce y diez.It is twelve ten.
- Mateo¡Es tarde para la película!It is late for the movie!
- ElenaNo te preocupes, Mateo.Don't worry, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries diez, doce, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
