What does it mean word for word?
The phrase a qué hora literally translates to "at what hour".
Which one should you use?
While the default form uses llegar, you can also use the verb volver in the form ¿a qué hora vuelves a casa? to mean "what time are you returning home?" If you want to ask about a future arrival, you can use the future tense: ¿A qué hora llegarás a casa? which means "What time will you arrive home?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different regions have preferred variations: in Argentina, you can say ¿A qué hora volvés a casa? In Mexico, ¿A qué hora regresas a casa? is common. And in Colombia, you might hear ¿A qué hora llegas a la casa?
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form uses the tú conjugation llegas, which is appropriate for friends, family or people your own age. To make the question formal, change the verb from llegas to llega and add the pronoun usted.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿a qué hora llegas? is often a social prompt to coordinate a meal, rather than a strict request for a schedule.
- The word hora is a distant linguistic relative of the Ancient Greek word ὥρᾱ, which originally described a 'season' or a 'time of year'.
- While casa means 'home', the word hogar refers specifically to the hearth or the emotional feeling of home, and is almost never used in this specific question.
Examples in context
- María, ¿a qué hora regresas a casa?Maria, what time are you coming home?
- ¿A qué hora vas a volver a casa mañana?What time are you coming home tomorrow?
- Llego a casa a las ocho.I am arriving home at eight.
- Dime, ¿a qué hora llegas a casa?Tell me, what time are you coming home?
Example conversation
Lucía is calling Mateo to check his schedule for the evening.
- LucíaHola Mateo, ¿a qué hora llegas a casa?Hello Mateo, what time are you coming home?
- MateoLlego a las siete, Lucía.I'll arrive at seven, Lucía.
- LucíaPerfecto, te esperaremos para cenar.Perfect, we will wait for you to have dinner.
- MateoMuy bien, nos vemos luego.Very well, see you later.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, casa, hora, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.
