Unit 1: Lesson 2
Unit 1 Lesson 2
Lesson Overview
This second lesson will review 'Telling Time' from Previous Units.
If you can count to 29 in Spanish, you can tell time.
The primary way of telling time in Spanish is to use the singular form of ser ('to be'), which is es, for one o'clock, and the plural form, son, for other times. Minutes can be stated simply by separating them from the hour using y, the word for 'and.'
Es la una. It is 1:00.
Es la una y dos. It is 1:02.
Son las dos. It is 2:00.
Son las tres. It is 3:00.
Son las seis y cinco. It is 6:05.
Son las siete y diez. It is 7:10.
Son las once y diecinueve. It is 11:19.
To indicate the half hour, use media. Use cuarto to indicate the quarter hours.
Es la una y media. It is 1:30.
Son las cuatro y media. It is 4:30.
Es la una y cuarto. It is 1:15.
It is customary to use menos to tell time during the second half of each hour, stating the number of minutes until the following hour.
Es la una menos diez. It is 12:50. (It is ten until one.)
Son las cinco menos cinco. It is 4:55. (It is five until five.)
Son las diez menos veinte. It is 9:40. (It is twenty until ten.)
Son las ocho menos cuarto. It is 7:45. (It is quarter until eight.)
In most Spanish-speaking world, 12-hour and 24-hour clocks are used, the latter being quite common in schedules and similar printed materials. To indicate the time of day when using the 12-hour clock, use de la mañana before noon (mediodía), de la tarde between noon and early evening, and de la noche between then and midnight (medianoche).
Es medianoche. It's midnight.
Son las siete y cuarto de la mañana. It's 7:15 a.m. (It is 7:15 in the morning.)
Es mediodía. It's noon.
Son las cuatro menos cinco de la tarde. It's 3:55 p.m. (It is five before four in the afternoon.)
Son las ocho y media de la noche. It's 8:30 p.m. (It is eight and a half at night.)
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Unit 1 Lesson 2: Part 2
Part 2 Overview
'Terminar'
The following exercise will allow you to incorporate the verb 'terminar' used in past tense to express when someone finishes certain activities. In this case, Ayer Isabel y otros caminaron.
¿Qué dice Isabel sobre cuándo terminaron?
(Indicate when these people finished their walks.) Let's take a look and solve together.
11:30 - mi madre
Mi madre terminó a las once y media.
Note: Make sure you remember how to conjugate the past tense of terminar for future practice evaluation.
After reviewing some previous knowledge and incorporating the past tense to express time, we will continue looking at the video historian of Isabel and Mario.
In this second part of the story, pay attention to how Mario and Isabel use the preterit to tell the doctor about Mario's accident.
Then, use the preterit of regular-ar verbs to talk about past actions.
Let's look at the written version, and then we can look at the video.
Note: Cuando lees Read for excuses. Read the conversation involving Mario, Isabel, and the doctor. What excuse does Mario use to avoid admitting his fault in the crash?
Isabel takes Mario to the doctor's office.
Doctora: Mario Alvarez? Está usted enfermo?
Isabel: Le duelen la pierna y la cabeza. Lo ayudé a caminar.
Doctora: (to Mario). Qué hiciste?
Isabel: Pues, montó en su bicicleta… ¡cerca de unas frutas!
Mario: Monté en mi bicicleta...
Doctora: Llevaste un casco?
Isabel: Sí, ¡ pero Mario piensa que es Lance Armstrong!
Mario: Isabel, ¡el señor de las frutas caminó delante de mi bicicleta!
Isabel: Y allí... ¡Pum!
Doctora: Mario, sabes montar en bicicleta?
Mario: Sí, es fácil.
Doctora: Te gustó?
Mario: Ahora estoy herido, ¡ pero me gustó!
Doctora: (to Isabel) Para la salud de tu amigo, no más bicicletas, ¡ por favor!
Irregular Verbs
It is time for us to learn more preterit irregular verbs and see how we incorporate them into a conversation. We will learn how to form the preterit of verbs ending in -car, -gar, and -zar. Then, use these verbs to say what people did.
English Grammar Connection: The spelling of some verbs in English changes in the past tense when -ed is added: for example, admit —> admitted, stop —> stopped, picnic picnicked. Spanish also has verbs that change their spelling in the preterit.
Preterit of -car, -gar, -zar Verbs
There is a spelling change in the preterit of regular verbs that end in -car, -gar, or -zar. How do you write the verb forms that have a change in spelling?
Here's how:
Regular verbs that end in -car, -gar, or -zar have a spelling change in the yo form of the preterit. This change allows these words to maintain their original sound.
buscar c becomes qu (yo) busqué
jugar g becomes gu (yo) jugué
almorzar z becomes c (yo) almorcé
Busqué el bloqueador de sol. Él buscó las toallas.
I looked for the sunscreen. He looked for the towels.
Jugué al béisbol. Ellas jugaron al fútbol.
Played baseball. They played soccer.
Almorcé a la una. ¿ A qué hora almorzaste tú?
I ate lunch at one o'clock. What time did you eat lunch?
Videos (Click on Images to View Videos)
Telling Time in Spanish
Mastering Irregular Verbs