How to Say "When Is Lunch?" in Spanish

¿a qué hora es el almuerzo?

The English phrase "when is lunch?" is expressed in Spanish as ¿a qué hora es el almuerzo?

This phrase is used to ask for the specific time that a midday meal will take place. While ¿a qué hora es el almuerzo? is the standard way to ask for a specific time, you might also encounter ¿Cuándo es el almuerzo? which is a more general way to ask "when is lunch?"

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, the phrase translates to "At what hour is the lunch?"

Which one should you use?

¿A qué hora es el almuerzo? asks for a specific time, whereas ¿Cuándo es el almuerzo? is more general.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In some Latin American countries, it is common to say ¿A qué hora es la comida? to ask "What time is lunch?" Additionally, in some Spanish-speaking regions, the word lonche is used to refer to lunch.

How does it change in a sentence?

The phrase uses the preposition a (at) and the interrogative qué hora (what hour) to ask for a specific time.

Did you know?

The word lonche, used in some Latin American regions, is a direct loanword from the English word 'lunch'.
The word almuerzo comes from the Latin word admordere, which literally means 'to bite into'.
In Spain, el almuerzo is often a mid-morning snack, while the main midday meal is called la comida.

Examples in context

¿Perdone, a qué hora es el almuerzo?
Excuse me, at what time is lunch?
¿A qué hora comemos?
At what time do we eat?

Example conversation

At a workplace during a morning break.

María

Daniel, ¿a qué hora es el almuerzo?
Daniel, when is lunch?
Daniel

Es a la una, María.
It is at one, María.
María

Perfecto, tengo mucha hambre.
Perfect, I am very hungry.
Daniel

Yo también.
Me too.

Sources

Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, almuerzo, el, es, hora, qué, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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How to Say “When Is Lunch?” in Spanish