How to Say ‘It's three in the afternoon.’ in Mexican Spanish
Son las tres de la tarde.
sohn lahs tres deh lah TAR-deh
[sohn lahs tres deh lah TAR-deh]
🇲🇽 In Mexico: In speech Mexicans use 12-hour times with de la tarde and similar. Twenty-four-hour times like las quince mostly appear on tickets and schedules.
Phrase Breakdown
Son las tres
sohn lahs tres
It's three o'clock
In 'tres', tap the 'r' quickly right after the 't': 'tres'.
Ya son las tres.
It's already three.
Words in this phrase
Son
[sohn]
it is / they are
Used to state a price, especially with plural pesos amounts.
El taxista respondió «Son» trescientos, pero me pareció mucho.
The taxi driver replied "it is" three hundred, but it seemed like a lot to me.
las
[lahs]
the (plural feminine, used with hours)
In time expressions, “las” is used because “hora” is feminine and plural is implied: “a las 3,” “a las 11.”
Quedamos a las 11 para revisar pendientes.
We’ll meet at 11 to review pending items.
tres
[tres]
Three
The number 3.
Necesito tres manzanas.
I need three apples.
de la tarde.
deh lah TAR-deh
in the afternoon
Use this from about noon until dark. 'Tarde' is 'TAR-deh', with a tapped 'r'.
Nos vemos a las cuatro de la tarde.
See you at four in the afternoon.
Words in this phrase
de
[deh]
of
A preposition that links nouns, often meaning “of” or “about.”
En «cultura de trabajo», «de» conecta las dos ideas.
In “work culture,” “de” connects the two ideas.
la
[lah]
the (feminine singular)
Definite article used with feminine nouns like “pantalla.”
La pantalla del demo está lista.
The demo screen is ready.
tarde
[TAR-deh]
afternoon
A noun meaning afternoon; common in greetings and farewells.
Que pase buena tarde y gracias por venir.
Have a good afternoon and thank you for coming.
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