It is the time to act

Question

Es la hora de actuar

This is the answer given in Duolingo. Assuming that it is correct, why the "de".

Answer 1

It's just a set phrase 'es la hora de'.

You can't always translate things literally to get the sense of a phrase, you just have to accept that we say it's time 'to' act and in Spanish it is said 'it's the hour of action'.

Lo que le dijo...... lol - PapoPaz, Oct 11, 2013

:) - Kiwi-Girl, Oct 11, 2013

Answer 2

Are both equally valid, or is there any guidance on when we may omit the ´la´? (I think I always do)

Roger, usually there´s a difference. Alyssa has mentioned usages with la, which can be considered established times of doing things, ie: La hora de comer es a las dos.

What I refer to is: "enough is enough and it´s now time to act" - a completely different context.

However, it´s possible to use Alyssa´s examples without la as well, but now the context changes, ie: Your wife calls you to the table to eat at whatever time it happens to be: Roger, ya es hora de comer - vente (it´s time to eat - come along).

Great, and thanks. So, the la is used for more established regular appointments or times or recurring time slots, right? - rogspax, Oct 12, 2013

Right - 005faa61, Oct 13, 2013

Answer 3

It is the time to act

In Spanish this expression is spoken for each individual situation: Ya es hora de (hacer algo).

Answer 4

Ya es hora de (hacer algo).

Thanks for chiming in Julian. I was about to comment that I´d thought I¨d heard it a lot without the ´la´ in there.

Are both equally valid, or is there any guidance on when we may omit the ´la´? (I think I always do)

I would tend to write ¨It´s time to start¨ as ¨Es hora comenzar¨.

Is that OK?

Muchas gracias.

Answer 5

"Es la hora de" is a phrase meaning "It's time to". You can add any (reasonable) verb to the end and come up with a sentence.

Examples:

• Es la hora de almorzar = It's time to lunch.
• Es la hora de dormir = It's time to sleep.
• Es la hora de estudiar = It's time to study.