How do you say "It's 1:50"? Which one do you usually use?

Question

I saw four sentences used to indicate "It's 1:50." Are they all correct?
Which one do you usually use?

1. Es la una y cincuenta.

2. Son las dos menos diez.

3. Son diez para las dos. (What does "para" mean here?)

4. Faltan diez para las dos. (What does "faltan" mean here?)

Answer 1

I'm not a native speaker, Joygogo, but my way of saying it would be, "es la una cincuenta," or "son las dos menos diez." "Faltan" in your number four means, "needs," or "lacks," thus it lacks ten minutes of being two. I'll let someone more fluent give an exact explanation of the "para," but loosely, here, obviously, it suggests "until two," although that wouldn't be the literal translation of the word. - Best regards, Fannie

Hola, Fannie. Your answer helps me a lot, too. I know "para" usually means "for", but I just can't accept that it also means "for" here. Thanks for offering your opinion. - joygogo, Apr 29, 2013

Answer 2

Have a look at Paralee's lessons.

Click here for the lesson for numbers and time

I've watched that lesson before, but it doesn't solve my current puzzle. Thanks, anyway. - joygogo, Apr 28, 2013

Answer 3

Joygogo

You can type in: 1:50 in this translator and it will give you the written time (which is your no. 1). I think you have a typo on no. 2 - Soy -> Son.

On the Faltan - it means 10 minutes before 2 (10 till 2)- or there 'lacks' 10 minutes before it becomes 2.

Para is a destination word for "for". So '10 minutes to get to its destination of 2 o'clock'.

Here's a nice interactive game link to learn terms of time after you've done a lesson from Paralee: Telling time game

There's also the word 'menos' that you'll find on some time lessons. - katydew, Apr 28, 2013

Hola, Katydew. Thanks for pointing out my typo and offering me such a nice interactive game. I just finished playing it. Gracias. But which sentence do you often use? - joygogo, Apr 28, 2013

You probably noticed it links into a more difficult game of telling time. Depending on which region the Spanish is spoken, one way will be the favorite. Learn them all and you'll hear them all. - katydew, Apr 28, 2013

Answer 4

Good answers.

SON la una y cincuenta. (After 1 you use son and not es)

Soy las dos menos diez.

Son diez para las dos. (What does "para" mean here?) para replaces the preposition to in English

Faltan diez para las dos. (What does "faltan" mean here?) Ten minus two (faltan means minus)