Telling the time and making appointments in Spanish: the clock, the dates, cita or turno, and being late in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
Telling the time in Spanish is easy to read and hard to catch at speed, and to make an appointment you have to catch it. Plenty of it changes by country as well. The word for an appointment, the way a quarter to three is said, where the afternoon ends, and how late you can turn up are all different in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina. Below: the clock, the calendar, booking and moving an appointment, the excuses for being late, and what the person on the other end of the phone will say to you.
The time
The hour is feminine and plural, because las horas is understood behind it. One o’clock is the only singular.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| What time is it? | ¿Qué hora es? | Everywhere. Some speakers say ¿qué horas son? in Mexico and Colombia |
| It’s one o’clock | Es la una. | The only singular hour |
| It’s three o’clock | Son las tres. | |
| Three exactly | Son las tres en punto. | |
| Quarter past three | Son las tres y cuarto. | |
| Half past three | Son las tres y media. | |
| Twenty past three | Son las tres y veinte. | |
| Just gone three | Son las tres y pico. | Y pico is a bit past, in all four |
| Midday | el mediodía | |
| Midnight | la medianoche | |
| At three | a las tres | A for when, son for what time it is |
Quarter to is the part that changes.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter to three | un cuarto para las tres or quince para las tres | las tres menos cuarto | quince para las tres or un cuarto para las tres | las tres menos cuarto |
| Ten to three | diez para las tres | las tres menos diez | diez para las tres | las tres menos diez |
| In the morning | en la mañana | por la mañana | en la mañana | a la mañana |
| In the afternoon | en la tarde | por la tarde | en la tarde | a la tarde |
In Spain and Argentina people count backwards from the hour, menos cuarto. In Mexico and Colombia people count forwards to it, quince para las tres. Both are understood everywhere, so use whichever you can produce fastest. The same goes for por, en and a la mañana, which are all correct Spanish.
Morning, afternoon, evening, night
Spanish speakers split the day by what people are doing, so the boundaries move with mealtimes.
| Part of the day | Spanish | Roughly |
|---|---|---|
| The small hours | de la madrugada | 1 to 6 in the morning |
| Morning | de la mañana | 6 until midday |
| Midday | del mediodía | Around 12 to 2 |
| Afternoon | de la tarde | Midday until dark |
| Evening and night | de la noche | Dark until bed |
Where dark falls is the country difference. In Spain people say de la tarde until about nine in the evening, because dinner is at ten. Say las ocho de la tarde in Madrid and it is right. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina the evening starts earlier in the language, around seven, and las ocho de la noche is the normal way to say eight in the evening.
The greeting changes at the same boundary. Buenos días until lunch, buenas tardes after it, buenas noches once it is dark. In Spain that means buenos días can still be right at half past one. In Colombia buenas tardes starts just after midday. With buenas on its own you dodge the whole problem, in all four countries.
Buenas noches is both hello and goodbye. Walking into a shop at nine at night, you say it as a greeting.
The 24-hour clock
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written on a timetable | 20:00 or 8:00 p. m. | 20:00 | 8:00 p. m. | 20:00 |
| Said out loud | a las ocho de la noche | a las ocho de la tarde | a las ocho de la noche | a las ocho de la noche or a las veinte |
| Everyday habit | 12-hour, with a.m. and p.m. | 24-hour in writing, 12-hour in speech | 12-hour, with a.m. and p.m. | 24-hour in writing and often in speech |
In Spain and Argentina people write the 24-hour clock for anything scheduled: cinema listings, trains, opening hours, medical appointments. Argentines also say it, and el tren sale a las diecisiete is ordinary speech. In Spain people write 20:00 and then say a las ocho.
In Mexico and Colombia people stay with the 12-hour clock, and careful Colombian writers use a. m. and p. m. with the full stops and the space.
Dates
Day before month, in all four countries, written and spoken. 5/9/2026 is the fifth of September, never the ninth of May.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The fifth of September | el cinco de septiembre | De between the number and the month |
| The first of the month | el primero de mayo (Mexico, Colombia, Argentina) / el uno de mayo (Spain) | Only the first is ordinal, and only outside Spain |
| 2026 | dos mil veintiséis | |
| On Monday | el lunes | El means on. Days are written in lower case |
| On Mondays | los lunes | |
| Next Monday | el lunes que viene / el próximo lunes | |
| Last Thursday | el jueves pasado | |
| Today, tomorrow, yesterday | hoy, mañana, ayer | |
| The day after tomorrow | pasado mañana | |
| The day before yesterday | anteayer / antier (Mexico, Colombia) | |
| Tomorrow morning | mañana en la mañana (Mexico, Colombia) / mañana por la mañana (Spain) / mañana a la mañana (Argentina) | |
| This week | esta semana | |
| In a fortnight | en quince días | The normal way to say two weeks in all four |
| At the end of the month | a fin de mes |
Mañana is both tomorrow and morning, so mañana por la mañana is a real sentence.
Booking an appointment
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The appointment | una cita | una cita | una cita | un turno |
| Booking it | Quiero agendar una cita. or Quiero hacer una cita. | Quería pedir cita. | Necesito agendar una cita. | Quería sacar un turno. |
| Asking if they have one | ¿Tiene citas para esta semana? | ¿Tiene hueco esta semana? | ¿Tiene citas disponibles? | ¿Tiene turnos para esta semana? |
| Cancelling | Quiero cancelar mi cita. | Quería anular la cita. | Necesito cancelar la cita. | Quería cancelar el turno. |
| Moving it | ¿Puedo reagendar? | ¿Puedo cambiar la cita? | ¿Puedo reprogramar la cita? | ¿Puedo cambiar el turno? |
Turno in Argentina is the word for any booked slot: doctor, dentist, hairdresser, nail salon, vet. It also means your turn in a queue, which is what it means in the other three countries.
¿Tiene hueco? is Spain, literally do you have a gap, and it is what you say at a hairdresser or a clinic.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| For Tuesday, if possible | Para el martes, si se puede. | |
| Any day this week | Cualquier día de esta semana. | |
| In the morning is better | En la mañana me queda mejor. / Por la mañana mejor. (Spain) | |
| The soonest you have | Lo más pronto posible. | |
| After six | Después de las seis. | |
| Before midday | Antes del mediodía. | |
| How long does it take? | ¿Cuánto dura? | |
| Do I need to bring anything? | ¿Tengo que llevar algo? | |
| Is it with the same doctor? | ¿Es con el mismo doctor? | |
| Can you text me the details? | ¿Me lo puede mandar por mensaje? | |
| That works | Perfecto, me queda bien. | |
| That doesn’t work for me | Ese horario no me sirve. | No me sirve is the polite refusal of a slot |
Confirming and changing
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| I’m calling to confirm | Llamo para confirmar mi cita. | |
| I’m confirming for tomorrow | Confirmo la cita de mañana. | |
| I have an appointment at four | Tengo cita a las cuatro. / Tengo turno a las cuatro. (Argentina) | |
| Under the name García | A nombre de García. | |
| Can I move it to Thursday? | ¿Lo puedo pasar para el jueves? | Pasar para is the everyday verb for moving a booking |
| Something came up | Me surgió un imprevisto. | Accepted anywhere, and you do not have to say more |
| I have to cancel, sorry | Tengo que cancelar, disculpe. | |
| Is there a cancellation fee? | ¿Hay que pagar algo si cancelo? | |
| Can you put me on the waiting list? | ¿Me puede poner en lista de espera? |
Being late
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I’m going to be late | Voy a llegar tarde. | Voy a llegar tarde. | Voy a llegar tarde. | Voy a llegar tarde. |
| I’m on my way | Ya voy en camino. | Estoy de camino. | Ya voy en camino. | Ya salí, estoy yendo. |
| The traffic | Me agarró el tráfico. | Hay un atasco. | Me cogió un trancón. | Hay mucho tránsito. |
| Ten minutes | Llego en diez. | Llego en diez. | Llego en diez. | Llego en diez. |
| Sorry to keep you waiting | Perdón por la demora. | Perdón por el retraso. | Disculpe la demora. | Perdón por la demora. |
Estoy llegando means anything from two minutes away to still at home, in all four countries. Ya salí at least means they are out of the house.
Ahorita in Mexico and Colombia is the famous one. It is the diminutive of ahora, and with it people make the time vaguer instead of shorter: ahorita voy can be five minutes or an hour. Ahora mismo and ya mismo are the forms that mean immediately. In Spain and Argentina ahorita is not used; people say ahora, and Argentines say recién for just now, as in recién llegué, I’ve just arrived.
Ya has more meanings than it seems to. Ya voy is I’m coming. Ya está is it’s done. Ya no is not any more. ¿Ya comiste? is have you eaten yet.
How late is late
There are different rules for appointments and social plans, and the same person keeps both.
You arrive on time for a doctor, a dentist, a government office, a class, a job interview, a train and a work meeting. For a medical appointment in all four countries, arriving ten or fifteen minutes early is normal and often asked for. If you are twenty minutes late to a clinic in Spain or Argentina, you can lose the slot.
Late is expected for dinner at a friend’s house, a party and a casual drink. Fifteen to thirty minutes is standard in Mexico, Colombia and Spain, and half an hour or more is unremarkable in Argentina.
Colombians have a name for it, la hora colombiana, used by Colombians about themselves when someone turns up an hour after the plan. If you are told the plan is a la hora colombiana, do not turn up first.
A useful hedge exists in every country for a soft time.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Around three | como a las tres | sobre las tres or a eso de las tres | como a las tres or a eso de las tres | tipo tres or a eso de las tres |
You can say a eso de in all four countries.
What the receptionist will say
| You will hear | It means |
|---|---|
| ¿Es la primera vez que viene? | Is this your first time here? |
| ¿Me da su nombre completo? | Can I have your full name? |
| ¿Me regala su cédula? | Can I have your ID? (Colombia) |
| ¿Su DNI? | Your ID? (Spain, Argentina) |
| ¿Tiene obra social? | Do you have health cover? (Argentina) |
| ¿Por cuál EPS viene? | Which health provider are you with? (Colombia) |
| Le puedo dar el martes a las diez. | I can give you Tuesday at ten |
| ¿Le queda bien? | Does that work for you? |
| ¿Le viene bien el jueves? | Does Thursday suit you? (Spain) |
| Tengo hueco a las once y media. | I have a gap at half past eleven (Spain) |
| Le mando la confirmación por mensaje. | I’ll text you the confirmation |
| Venga quince minutos antes. | Come fifteen minutes early |
| Tome asiento, ya lo atienden. | Take a seat, they’ll be with you shortly |
| El doctor viene demorado. | The doctor is running late |
| Lleva veinte minutos de retraso. | He’s twenty minutes behind |
| Va a tener que esperar un poco. | You’ll have to wait a bit |
| Su turno es el siguiente. | You’re next |
| Si no puede venir, avísenos con un día. | If you can’t come, let us know a day ahead |
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¿Qué hora es? Son las tres y media. What time is it? Half past three.
- Nos vemos a las ocho de la tarde. See you at eight in the evening. (Spain)
- Quedamos a eso de las nueve. Let’s say around nine.
- Quería pedir cita para el martes por la mañana. I’d like an appointment for Tuesday morning. (Spain)
- Quería sacar un turno lo antes posible. I’d like the soonest appointment you have. (Argentina)
- ¿Tiene citas disponibles esta semana? Do you have any appointments this week? (Mexico, Colombia)
- Tengo cita a las cuatro, a nombre de García. I have an appointment at four, under García.
- ¿Lo puedo pasar para el jueves? Can I move it to Thursday?
- Voy a llegar tarde, me agarró el tráfico. Llego en diez. I’m going to be late, I hit traffic. I’ll be there in ten. (Mexico)
- Perdón por la demora. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Questions people ask
Is it “es la una” or “son la una”? Es la una, because it is one hour. Every other hour is plural: son las dos, son las diez. The same goes for es la una y media.
Cita, turno or hora? Cita in Mexico, Spain and Colombia. Turno in Argentina and Uruguay. Hora is the word in Chile, where you pides hora at the doctor. All three mean a booked slot.
When does “de la tarde” become “de la noche”? When it gets dark and people have eaten. In Spain that is around nine, so las ocho de la tarde is normal. In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina it is around seven.
How do I write the date? Day, month, year, in all four countries. 5/9/2026 or 5 de septiembre de 2026. Months are written in lower case in Spanish, and so are the days of the week.
Does “ahorita” mean now? In Mexico and Colombia it means soon, at some point, or a vague later. Ahora mismo is the one that means right now. In Spain and Argentina ahorita is not used at all.
What is “quince días”? A fortnight. Spanish speakers count two weeks as fifteen days, and cada quince días means every two weeks. Una quincena is the same span and also a fortnightly pay packet in Mexico.
How late can I be to a doctor’s appointment? Do not be. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes early in all four countries, and expect to be asked for ID. Clinics give the slot away.
What does “y pico” mean? A bit past. Las tres y pico is some time after three. You can use it with money and quantities too: veinte y pico euros, twenty odd euros.
Practise these words
hora, cita, turno, tarde, temprano, mañana, medianoche, confirmar, cancelar, esperar, llegar, demora, horario. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.