When telling time, why isn't los used if the hour ends with an "o"? Is there no difference between feminine and masculine when telling time?

Question

I was using the La fecha y la hora flashcards and noticed the word las is used in front of every hour given. Why isn't los used if the hour ends with an "o"?

good question, getting my vote:) welcome to the forum:) - 00494d19, DIC 15, 2009

Gracias Heidita - I appreciate your vote. :0) - adecker, DIC 16, 2009

Answer 1

Because the la or las refers to the feminine noun "hora or horas". Las is not used when it is one o clock, "es la una"

Gracias Eddy - your answer has helped me think beyond titles i.e. La fecha y la hora. I now know I have to look at all the words. - adecker, DIC 16, 2009

Answer 2

I was using the La fecha y la hora flashcards

similarly for las fechas:

¿Que día es?

Es el miércoles. Es el dieciséis de deciembre.

times are feminine to match horas. days are masculine to match días.

Thank you for the clarification. This makes it easier to think outside the box. :0) - adecker, DIC 16, 2009

Answer 3

A good way to remember that is to keep in mind that the question for "What time is it?" is "¿Qué hora es?" which is literally "What hour is it?" and "hour" is a feminine noun!

Gracias LucentBeam for your help. - adecker, DIC 16, 2009