The construction of a time-related sentence is done in three steps:
Reference to the Hour
For all time-related sentences, regardless of the preposition (from, until, etc.), we shall first form the relation to the hour. We will not use the word ‘hora’ at all, and instead add a specific-article (la, las) before the number: a. If we are talking about 1 O’Clock, we will use ‘La una’ (we treat time as feminine since ‘hora’ is a feminine noun.) b. If we would like to refer to other hours, we shall use ‘Las’ and the hour (e.g. Las cinco 5 o’clock).
Adding the Correct Preposition
We will add the preposition a (at), hasta (until), desde (from), etc. at the beginning of the sentence.
AM/PM Marking
If we would like to refer to the part of the day, we will add ‘de la manaña/tarde/noche’ (AM/PM/at night).
Summary
English
Spanish
At
A
la una
las 2-12
y 5 minutos (and 5 mins)
y media (and a half)
y cuarto
(and 15 mins)
De la mañana
De la tarde
De la noche
Until
Hasta
from
Desde
It’s
(SER) Es
la una
y 5 minutos (and 5 mins)
y media (and a half)
y cuarto
(and 15 mins)
De la mañana
De la tarde
De la noche
(SER) Son
las 2-12
At 5 o’clock in the afternoon A las cinco de la tarde
It’s 1:30 Es la una y media
It’s 10:05 in the morning Son las diez y cinco de la mañana
From 1 o’clock until 8 o’clock at night Desde la una hasta las ocho de la noche
5 o’clock).
