"Time" and "Hour" in Spanish

Question

So do I have this wrong, or are "time" and "hour" both "hora" in Spanish?

¡Gracias!

They're not both hora. Hora is hour and tiempo is time. - codyandrews1993, Dec 8, 2016

Gracias. - m_fifty, Dec 9, 2016

Answer 1

The correlation between the many meanings of time in English, and tiempo and other ways of expressing time, such as hora, in Spanish is complex. Do keep in mind in Spanish tiempo can mean time, or mean weather among other things.

Two cases where we normally use time in English, that are translated to hora in Spanish that I can think of:

¿Qué hora es? What time is it.

Es hora de irme. It's time for me to leave.

Both cases are not that farfetched if you substitute hour for time in the English: What hour is it, it's the hour for me to leave.

Basically you have to learn each different way we use the word time in English on its own, as each context may have a different translation in Spanish. See the first six entries in our dictionary for time.

http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/time

1 (past, present, future) a. el tiempo (m)

The machine he built allows him to travel through time. La máquina que construyó le permite viajar en el tiempo.

2 (by clock) a. la hora (f)

Do you remember what time it was exactly?¿Recuerdas qué hora era exactamente?

3 (occasion) a. la vez (f)

This is the first time I've been to New York. Es la primera vez que voy a Nueva York.

4 (period) a. el tiempo (m)

There's not much time left until my dance performance begins.No queda mucho tiempo para que empiece mi espectáculo de danza.

5 (point of time) a. el momento (m)

At this time the duke should be arriving at his estate for dinner.En este momento el duque debe de llegar a su finca para cenar.

6 (era) a. la época (f)

My four years in college were the best time of my life.Mis cuatro años en la universidad fueron la mejor época de mi vida.

Wow! When did you become a Spanish teacher?? - Daniela2041, Dec 8, 2016

Excellent answe , Bosque ) - FELIZ77, Dec 8, 2016

Thanks. I have offered to teach some people Spanish, but no one I know really wants to put in the effort required. Learning a language outside of childhood really is an effort. :) - bosquederoble, Dec 8, 2016

@Bosque: Many Spanish teacher organizations have lobbied to get Spanish or other foreign language into the elementary schools. Most classroom teachers are not equipped for this, but it could be made a requirement for them--especially in the southwest. - Daniela2041, Dec 9, 2016

Gracias! That makes sense. This will probably take some "tiempo" to learn! - m_fifty, Dec 9, 2016