How to answer "Qué hora es" (borderlines)

Question

(Heidita - don't kill me - I did look for answers...)

Here is what I mean

To say it is

13:00 - es la una "de la tarde"

15:00 - son las tres "de la tarde"

02:00 - son las dos "de la noche"

What is the time, when you say "de la mañana" (already not - "de la noche") and "de la noche" (already not - "de la tarde")

Are you asking what the cut off periods are for each? For instance, when does one start and the other end? - Nicole-B, Oct 16, 2009

Exactly... - Behemoth, Oct 16, 2009

Good question. I've seen different answers on this from different people. - --Mariana--, Oct 16, 2009

Answer 1

I've always wondered that myself. I can never seem to get a definitive answer. I usually just use "de la madrugada" for anything between midnight (medianoche) to sunrise; de la mañana until noon; de la tarde till around 5 or 6pm and de la noche for the rest.

I would like to be able to answer this more confidently myself as well.

Answer 2

In English, there is a certain vagueness as to when afternoon stops and evening begins, as well as to when evening ends and night begins. I believe that Spanish lumps afternoon and evening into "tarde" and retains the same vagueness as to when it ends.

The period from midnight until dawn in English is often referred to as "the middle of the night", but times are usually given as "two in the morning", not "two at night". The Spanish speaking people around here follow the same pattern, but they may have adopted it from English.

Well, I know that you can say "buenas tardes" only after you've eaten your lunch in the afternoon. I know it from a person who spent almost one year in Spain... - bomberapolaca, Oct 17, 2009

Answer 3

Lorenzo

I thought it over a bit from my native language perspective and although we have such words quite well corresponding to what you quoted, to describe the time of the day we use practically just 4 - morning, afternoon, evening, night. (+ midnight and midday, if it is 12:00)

As far as I noticed the usage of those used to be influenced by the season and lifestyle of given person (one going to bed at 1:00 calls 22:00 evening, one going to bed at 20:00 calls it definitely night...).

I wonder if "en español" it is equally fluid?

ChamacoMalo

I know everything in the universe (language inclusive) is context related (relative).

What I mean in my question is - are there lines going beyond which can be considered funny/silly/stupid (like calling 03:00 - de la tarde)?

Answer 4

For me, how I understand it is I know what I'm talking about. That might seem like a smart assed answer from your classmate, but it's not. It's a thing I'm always talking about...context. I know when I ask the clerk about a train and what hour it goes or comes. Or if I'm asking Heidita or Moe what hour does the train leave? In other words, I'm not just walking up to a perfect stranger in the middle of the day on a crowded street asking some oddball question like "what hour does the train leave?" It's a context thing. I know generally what hours it might be leaving. I need clarification. He might say to me some word I don't know, at which point I say "Que?" "Como?" Conversations in spanish don't happen in a vacuum. We all come from different places...I speak my form, Heidita speaks her form. I ask "Oye, a que hora sale el tren?" and she says to me something in her european spanish I don't understand and I say "Que?" And then she understands I don't understand what she said to me...and she uses words I can understand because we live in a spanish world that comprises words we don't all understand. It always was and always will be that way. Es decir, cuando yo les hablo a ustedes en espanol, uso la forma menos complicada...asi que ustedes me entienden. Eso es comun por todos nostros que hablan espanol diariamente.

Answer 5

Here's what pops up on google (written by someone from Spain):

Mañana: Desde el alba hasta las 12.

Mediodía: Las 12.

Tarde: Desde la una hasta el anochecer.

Atardecer: Últimas horas de la tarde.

Anochecer: Período de tiempo en el que transcurre el ocaso.

Ocaso: La desaparición del sol en el horizonte.

Noche: Pasado el ocaso hasta la madrugada.

Medianoche: Las 12 de la noche.

Madrugada:Fase temprana del amanecer.

Amanecer, el alba, la amanecida, la alborada, orto: El momento en el que aparece el sol por el horizonte.

Answer 6

The reason for my question is that in software I am using for vocabulary drill it says even "las ocho de la tarde"... Which for me can make some sense in the middle of summer.

I recently heard in Spanish, the afternoon is extended further into the evening, even as far as 7-8pm. That was why I was interested in your question. I wish there was a cutoff like AM and PM. - Nicole-B, Oct 16, 2009

Answer 7

Yep, it's confusing at some points. I've talked to native speakers who say "a las siete de la tarde." I'm also wondering if it's just an honest mistake, or they just didn't care so much?

I believe tarde includes afternoon and (early) evening - lorenzo9, Oct 16, 2009

Answer 8

I would imagine it's the same as in English:

mañana from midnight to noon

tarde from noon until dark

noche from dark until midnight