Using "Ser" with Time

Be gentle with this pattern. Spanish grows fastest when one small idea gets practiced with care.

Big Idea

Using "Ser" with Time is about turning quantity and time into natural Spanish.

Verbs are the engine of a sentence. Start with the moment in time, then choose the form that carries that moment.

Examples

Example 1

Son las dos.
It is two o'clock.

Notice las dos: Time usually uses plural las.

Example 2

Tengo veintiún años.
I am twenty-one years old.

Notice veintiún: Age uses tener.

Example 3

el tres de mayo
May third

Notice tres de mayo: Dates use day + de + month.

How To Practice

1. Step 1: Read the Spanish example out loud.
2. Step 2: Name the job of the grammar pattern in one phrase.
3. Step 3: Change one noun, verb, or person and say the sentence again.

Common Trap

Watch for this: The trap is trying to master the whole topic at once. Learn the center first; the exceptions make more sense after that.

Remember

With Using "Ser" with Time, begin with meaning and time. The ending is there to serve the sentence.