Temas
IntermediateTime & Dates
How to express time, days, months, years and duration in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Comparar idiomas
Spanish uses ser for clock time and estar for being late/early. English uses prepositions (at, on, in) that learners often confuse. Chinese uses 点 for hours and 分 for minutes, with 月/日/年 for dates.
Overview
Time expressions cover clock time, calendar dates, days, months, years, and duration. Each language has its own conventions.
- Spanish: Uses ser for clock time and dates. Half hours use y media (and a half) or menos (minus). Days and months are not capitalized. Date format is day/month/year.
- English: Uses prepositions (at, on, in, for) that are largely arbitrary. AM/PM or 24-hour clock. Date format is month/day/year (US) or day/month/year (UK). Months and days are capitalized.
- Chinese: Uses 点 for hours, 分 for minutes. Dates follow year-month-day order. The week starts on Monday. No prepositions for time. Duration uses 个 as a general measure.
Spanish
Telling time
Question: ¿Qué hora es? / ¿Qué hora tienes?
Full hour:
- Es la una. (It’s one o’clock. — singular)
- Son las dos. (It’s two o’clock. — plural)
- Son las tres. (It’s three o’clock.)
Minutes past:
- Son las tres y cinco. (Five past three.)
- Son las tres y cuarto. (Quarter past three.)
- Son las tres y media. (Half past three.)
Minutes to:
- Son las cuatro menos cinco. (Five to four.)
- Son las cuatro menos cuarto. (Quarter to four.)
- Son las cuatro menos veinte. (Twenty to four.)
AM/PM:
- de la mañana (AM)
- de la tarde (PM, until ~8 PM)
- de la noche (PM, after ~8 PM)
- de la madrugada (early morning, ~12-6 AM)
Days of the week
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| lunes | Monday |
| martes | Tuesday |
| miércoles | Wednesday |
| jueves | Thursday |
| viernes | Friday |
| sábado | Saturday |
| domingo | Sunday |
Key point: Days of the week are masculine and not capitalized:
- el lunes (on Monday)
- los lunes (on Mondays — plural for habitual)
- Voy el lunes. (I’m going on Monday.)
- Voy los lunes. (I go on Mondays.)
Months
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| enero | January |
| febrero | February |
| marzo | March |
| abril | April |
| mayo | May |
| junio | June |
| julio | July |
| agosto | August |
| septiembre / setiembre | September |
| octubre | October |
| noviembre | November |
| diciembre | December |
Not capitalized: Hoy es ocho de julio.
Dates
Format: day + de + month (+ de + year)
- Hoy es ocho de julio. (Today is July 8th.)
- Mi cumpleaños es el quince de mayo. (My birthday is May 15th.)
- Nací el dos de enero de mil novecientos noventa. (I was born on January 2, 1990.)
Duration and time markers
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hace | ago | Hace dos horas. (Two hours ago.) |
| durante | during / for | Durante tres días. (For three days.) |
| desde | since / from | Desde las ocho. (Since eight o’clock.) |
| hasta | until | Hasta mañana. (Until tomorrow.) |
| por | for (in the morning) | por la mañana |
| a las | at (time) | a las tres |
| en | in (month/year) | en julio |
| de… a… | from… to… | de lunes a viernes |
estar a tiempo / tarde
- Estoy a tiempo. (I’m on time.)
- Estoy tarde. (I’m late.)
- Llego pronto. (I arrive early.)
English
Telling time
Question: What time is it? / What’s the time?
Full hour:
- It’s one o’clock.
- It’s two o’clock.
Minutes past:
- It’s three oh five. / It’s five past three.
- It’s three fifteen. / It’s quarter past three.
- It’s three thirty. / It’s half past three.
Minutes to:
- It’s three fifty-five. / It’s five to four.
- It’s three forty-five. / It’s quarter to four.
AM/PM or 24-hour:
- 3:15 PM / 15:15 (military/24-hour)
- 12:00 AM = midnight; 12:00 PM = noon
Prepositions of time
| Preposition | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | clock time, specific moment | at 3 o’clock, at noon, at midnight, at the moment |
| on | days, dates | on Monday, on July 4th, on my birthday |
| in | months, years, seasons, parts of day | in July, in 1995, in summer, in the morning |
| for | duration | for two hours, for three days |
| since | starting point | since 2010, since Monday |
| from… to/until | range | from Monday to Friday |
| during | within a period | during the summer |
| before / after | sequence | before lunch, after work |
| by | deadline | by Friday, by 5 PM |
Common errors:
- ❌ I will call you in Monday. → ✅ I will call you on Monday.
- ❌ I was born at 1995. → ✅ I was born in 1995.
- ❌ See you at Friday. → ✅ See you on Friday.
Days and months (capitalized)
| Day | Month |
|---|---|
| Monday | January |
| Tuesday | February |
| Wednesday | March |
| Thursday | April |
| Friday | May |
| Saturday | June |
| Sunday | July |
Capitalized: Today is Monday, July 8th.
Date formats
| Format | Example | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Month/Day/Year | July 8, 2024 | US |
| Day/Month/Year | 8 July 2024 | UK, most of world |
| ISO | 2024-07-08 | International standard |
Duration
- I lived there for three years.
- I haven’t seen him since 2010.
- I waited from 9 until 5.
- The meeting lasted two hours.
Chinese
Telling time
Question: 现在几点？ (What time is it now?)
Full hour:
- 三点。(Three o’clock.)
- 十二点。(Twelve o’clock.)
Minutes past:
- 三点零五 (3:05 — “three point zero five”)
- 三点十五分 (3:15)
- 三点半 (3:30 — “three half”)
Minutes to:
- 差五分四点 (five minutes to four — “lack five minutes four o’clock”)
- 差十分四点 (ten minutes to four)
刻 (quarter):
- 三点一刻 (quarter past three)
- 三点三刻 (quarter to four — three quarters past three)
AM/PM:
- 上午 (morning, AM)
- 下午 (afternoon, PM)
- 晚上 (evening/night)
- 中午 (noon)
- 半夜 (midnight)
Days of the week
| Chinese | Literal | English |
|---|---|---|
| 星期一 | week one | Monday |
| 星期二 | week two | Tuesday |
| 星期三 | week three | Wednesday |
| 星期四 | week four | Thursday |
| 星期五 | week five | Friday |
| 星期六 | week six | Saturday |
| 星期日 / 星期天 | week day/sun | Sunday |
Alternative: 礼拜 (religious term for week): 礼拜一 (Monday)
Months
Chinese months are simply number + 月:
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
| 一月 | January |
| 二月 | February |
| 三月 | March |
| … | … |
| 十二月 | December |
Dates
Format: year + 年 + month + 月 + day + 日/号
- 二零二四年七月八日 (July 8, 2024)
- 七月八号 (July 8th — 号 is more colloquial)
Note: No preposition needed before dates in Chinese:
- 我七月八号去。(I’m going on July 8th. — no “on”)
Duration
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| 个 + time unit | 三个小时 (three hours) |
| 了 for completed duration | 等了三个小时 (waited three hours) |
| 以前 | 三天以前 (three days ago) |
| 以后 | 三天以后 (three days later) |
| 之内 | 三天之内 (within three days) |
| 以来 | 从…以来 (since…) |
早上/上午/中午/下午/晚上
| Time | Chinese |
|---|---|
| early morning | 早上 / 清晨 |
| morning | 上午 |
| noon | 中午 |
| afternoon | 下午 |
| evening | 晚上 |
| late night | 夜里 |
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clock time question | ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? | 现在几点？ |
| Hours | las + number | number + o’clock | number + 点 |
| Minutes | y + number / menos + number | past / to / AM / PM | 分 (minute) |
| Half hour | y media | half past / thirty | 点半 / 点半 |
| Quarter | cuarto | quarter | 一刻 |
| Days of week | lunes, martes… | Monday, Tuesday… | 星期一, 星期二… |
| Months | enero, febrero… | January, February… | 一月, 二月… |
| Date format | day/month/year | month/day/year (US) | year/month/day |
| Date preposition | el + day / en + month | on + day / in + month | No preposition |
| Duration | durante / hace / desde | for / since / from | 个 + unit + 了 |
| AM/PM | de la mañana / tarde / noche | AM / PM | 上午 / 下午 / 晚上 |
| Capitalization | None | Days/Months | None |
Examples in context
I have a meeting at 3 PM on Monday
- ES: Tengo una reunión a las tres de la tarde el lunes.
- EN: I have a meeting at 3 PM on Monday.
- ZH: 我星期一下午三点有会。
I lived there for three years
- ES: Viví allí durante tres años. / Hace tres años que vivo allí.
- EN: I lived there for three years.
- ZH: 我在那儿住了三年。
See you on July 8th
- ES: Nos vemos el ocho de julio.
- EN: See you on July 8th.
- ZH: 七月八号见。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: Capitalizing months/days: Enero → enero
-
Spanish speakers learning English: Wrong prepositions: I go at Monday → I go on Monday
-
English speakers learning Chinese: Adding prepositions to dates: 在七月八号 → acceptable but unnecessary; 七月八号 is more natural
-
Chinese speakers learning English: Omitting prepositions: I go Monday → I go on Monday
Related topics
- Numbers: How numbers are used in time expressions
- Prepositions: How time prepositions work
- Verb Tenses: How time expressions interact with tense
- Aspect: How duration and completion are expressed
Ejemplos
What time is it?
¿Qué hora es?
It is 3:15
Son las tres y cuarto
Today is Monday
Hoy es lunes
On Monday
el lunes
In July
en julio
1995
mil novecientos noventa y cinco
Duration (for 3 hours)
durante tres horas / hace tres horas
Since / from
desde
Ejemplos
What time is it?
What time is it?
It is 3:15
It's three fifteen / quarter past three
Today is Monday
Today is Monday
On Monday
on Monday
In July
in July
1995
nineteen ninety-five
Duration (for 3 hours)
for three hours / three hours ago
Since / from
since / from
Ejemplos
What time is it?
现在几点？
It is 3:15
三点十五分 / 三点一刻
Today is Monday
今天星期一
On Monday
星期一
In July
七月
1995
一九九五年
Duration (for 3 hours)
三个小时 (了) / 三个小时以前
Since / from
从...起 / 以来
Comparación rápida
| Conceptos gramaticales | Español | Inglés | Chino |
|---|---|---|---|
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? | 现在几点？ |
| It is 3:15 | Son las tres y cuarto | It's three fifteen / quarter past three | 三点十五分 / 三点一刻 |
| Today is Monday | Hoy es lunes | Today is Monday | 今天星期一 |
| On Monday | el lunes | on Monday | 星期一 |
| In July | en julio | in July | 七月 |
| 1995 | mil novecientos noventa y cinco | nineteen ninety-five | 一九九五年 |
| Duration (for 3 hours) | durante tres horas / hace tres horas | for three hours / three hours ago | 三个小时 (了) / 三个小时以前 |
| Since / from | desde | since / from | 从...起 / 以来 |
Selecciona al menos un idioma para ver las comparaciones
Comparación lado a lado
| Conceptos gramaticales | Español | Inglés | Chino |
|---|---|---|---|
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? | What time is it? | 现在几点？ |
| It is 3:15 | Son las tres y cuarto | It's three fifteen / quarter past three | 三点十五分 / 三点一刻 |
| Today is Monday | Hoy es lunes | Today is Monday | 今天星期一 |
| On Monday | el lunes | on Monday | 星期一 |
| In July | en julio | in July | 七月 |
| 1995 | mil novecientos noventa y cinco | nineteen ninety-five | 一九九五年 |
| Duration (for 3 hours) | durante tres horas / hace tres horas | for three hours / three hours ago | 三个小时 (了) / 三个小时以前 |
| Since / from | desde | since / from | 从...起 / 以来 |
Selecciona al menos un idioma para ver las comparaciones
Ejemplos en contexto
What time is it?
Español
¿Qué hora es?
Inglés
What time is it?
Chino
现在几点？
It is 3:15
Español
Son las tres y cuarto
Inglés
It's three fifteen / quarter past three
Chino
三点十五分 / 三点一刻
Today is Monday
Español
Hoy es lunes
Inglés
Today is Monday
Chino
今天星期一
On Monday
Español
el lunes
Inglés
on Monday
Chino
星期一
In July
Español
en julio
Inglés
in July
Chino
七月
1995
Español
mil novecientos noventa y cinco
Inglés
nineteen ninety-five
Chino
一九九五年
Duration (for 3 hours)
Español
durante tres horas / hace tres horas
Inglés
for three hours / three hours ago
Chino
三个小时 (了) / 三个小时以前
Since / from
Español
desde
Inglés
since / from
Chino
从...起 / 以来
Selecciona al menos un idioma para ver las comparaciones
Puntos clave
Spanish: Uses ser for clock time and dates. Half hours use y media (and a half) or menos (minus). Days and months are not capitalized. Date format is...
English: Uses prepositions (at, on, in, for) that are largely arbitrary. AM/PM or 24-hour clock. Date format is month/day/year (US) or day/month/year...
Chinese: Uses 点diǎn for hours, 分fēn for minutes. Dates follow year-month-day order. The week starts on Monday. No prepositions for time. Duration use...
Key concepts compared: What time is it?, It is 3:15, Today is Monday.
Última actualización: 4 de junio de 2026