Most speakers say “son las dos y diecisiete,” while “a las dos y diecisiete” fits plans, alarms, and schedules.
You’ve got “2:17” on a phone screen and you want the spoken Spanish that sounds normal. Not stiff. Not like a textbook line that makes people pause.
This time is friendly because it uses the simplest pattern Spanish has for minutes 1–30: hour + y + minutes. The trick is choosing the right frame for the moment: are you answering “what time is it?” or pointing to a time on a calendar?
How people say 2:17 out loud
If someone asks the time and it’s 2:17 right now, Spanish leans on the verb ser. That’s the everyday route.
Son las dos y diecisiete.
That’s it. Clear. Direct. Works in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and plenty more places. You’ll also hear the minutes shortened in quick speech, but the structure stays the same.
Why it’s “son las” and not “es la”
Spanish treats “one o’clock” as singular and everything from two onward as plural. So “1:17” is es la una y diecisiete. At 2:17 you switch to plural: son las dos.
Once you lock that in, you can say any time before the half hour without thinking too hard.
When you’re naming a time for a plan
For schedules, reminders, reservations, meetings, and alarms, Spanish often shifts to the preposition a. You’re not stating the current time; you’re pointing to a time slot.
La reunión es a las dos y diecisiete.
Pon la alarma a las dos y diecisiete.
This “a las …” frame is also what you’ll hear after questions like “¿A qué hora…?”
2:17 in Spanish for schedules and plans
People sometimes mix up two similar ideas: “It’s 2:17” vs “At 2:17.” In Spanish, the grammar change is small, but it makes your sentence land right away.
Pick the frame that matches the situation
- Right now:Son las dos y diecisiete.
- At that time:A las dos y diecisiete…
- Written schedule:14:17 (common in timetables) or 2:17 p. m. depending on the format.
If you want a clean reference for how Spanish handles hour expressions in general (minutes, fractions, and the common patterns), the RAE’s guidance on telling time is a solid baseline:
RAE guidance on time expressions.
Make it sound like a real message
On a calendar invite you might write “14:17,” yet in a text to a friend you’ll often say it out loud, even while looking at the digits. These lines sound natural in everyday chat:
- Llego a las dos y diecisiete.
- Salimos a las dos y diecisiete, ni un minuto más.
- Me llamas a las dos y diecisiete, ¿vale?
Saying 2:17 in Spanish without sounding stiff
“Son las dos y diecisiete” is correct and normal. Still, Spanish offers a few other moves that people use depending on tone, region, and how precise they want to be.
Think of these as options, not rules you must follow. When you’re unsure, stick with the plain form and you’ll be fine.
Use “y” minutes for clean precision
Many speakers keep 2:17 exactly as minutes, especially for travel times, ticket gates, and anything where being precise matters.
Son las dos y diecisiete.
That line stays steady across accents and countries. It also pairs well with “a las …” for plans.
Use “menos” when you’re counting down
Spanish also allows a countdown style: next hour minus minutes. That’s common once you pass the half hour, yet you’ll still hear it earlier in some places and personal styles.
At 2:17, the countdown version points to 3:00:
Son las tres menos cuarenta y tres.
It’s correct. It’s just longer, so many people skip it for early minutes and save “menos” for times like 2:45 or 2:50.
Add the part of day when it helps
When context could be confusing, Spanish often adds the time-of-day phrase: de la mañana, de la tarde, de la noche, de la madrugada. That’s common in spoken Spanish with the 12-hour clock.
Son las dos y diecisiete de la tarde. fits if you need to confirm it’s not 2:17 a.m.
If you want a writing-focused reference for hours (12-hour vs 24-hour, when words vs digits fit better), FundéuRAE summarizes common Spanish usage and formatting:
FundéuRAE recommendations on writing hours.
Common ways to express 2:17
Below are practical, copy-ready choices you can use depending on what you’re doing: answering the time, setting a reminder, writing a schedule, or clarifying morning vs afternoon.
| Situation | Natural Spanish | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Someone asks the time | Son las dos y diecisiete. | Default spoken answer for 2:17. |
| You’re stating a plan time | A las dos y diecisiete. | Use after “¿A qué hora…?” or when naming a time slot. |
| Meeting line | La reunión es a las dos y diecisiete. | Schedules, invitations, reminders. |
| Alarm or timer | Pon la alarma a las dos y diecisiete. | Phones, smart speakers, daily routines. |
| Adding time-of-day clarity | Son las dos y diecisiete de la tarde. | When “2:17” could be a.m. or p.m. |
| 24-hour spoken reference | Son las catorce diecisiete. | More common in formal or operational settings; not universal. |
| Written timetable style | 14:17 | Tickets, transit boards, itineraries. |
| Countdown style | Son las tres menos cuarenta y tres. | Grammatically fine; used by preference, often later in the hour. |
How to write 2:17 in Spanish the clean way
Writing time in Spanish depends on what you’re writing: a story paragraph, a message, a timetable, a sign, a form. Spanish style guidance often recommends choosing either words or digits and sticking with that choice inside the same context.
The RAE’s spelling guidance on writing time lays out this “pick one system” approach and shows the common formats:
RAE spelling rules on writing time.
Digits: best for schedules and interfaces
If you’re writing a train time, a flight note, a calendar entry, or anything that looks like a timetable, digits are the usual pick. That means:
- 14:17 (24-hour format)
- 2:17 p. m. (12-hour format, when that style is expected)
In many Spanish-speaking places, public schedules lean toward the 24-hour format, while everyday conversation leans toward the 12-hour format with a time-of-day phrase when needed.
Words: better inside running text
In narrative or paragraph-style writing, words tend to blend better with the rest of the sentence. So you might write:
A las dos y diecisiete sonó el teléfono.
That looks natural on the page and doesn’t interrupt the flow the way digits sometimes do.
Minute patterns you can reuse for any time
Once 2:17 feels easy, you can reuse the same building blocks for almost every time on the clock. The table below gives you the core patterns that show up the most in everyday Spanish.
| Pattern | Works for | Example line |
|---|---|---|
| Son las + hour + y + minutes | Minutes 1–30 | Son las dos y diecisiete. |
| Es la + one + y + minutes | Any 1:xx time | Es la una y diecisiete. |
| Son las + hour + en punto | Exact hours | Son las dos en punto. |
| Son las + hour + y cuarto | :15 times | Son las dos y cuarto. |
| Son las + hour + y media | :30 times | Son las dos y media. |
| Son las + next hour + menos + minutes | Minutes 31–59 | Son las tres menos diez. |
| A las + time | Plans and schedules | Salgo a las dos y diecisiete. |
Questions you’ll hear, and how to answer fast
When you’re learning to tell time, the question format matters as much as the answer. In real conversations, people often shorten the question, so it helps to recognize a few common versions.
Common questions
- ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
- ¿Tienes hora? (Do you have the time?)
- ¿A qué hora es…? (What time is…?)
- ¿A qué hora quedamos? (What time are we meeting?)
Fast answers for 2:17
- Son las dos y diecisiete.
- Son las dos y diecisiete de la tarde.
- Es a las dos y diecisiete.
If you want a classroom-style reference that walks through asking and answering time with the right prepositions (son las…, a las…, de… a…), the Centro Virtual Cervantes has an A1 activity built around this exact skill:
Centro Virtual Cervantes activity on asking and telling time.
Common slip-ups and clean fixes
These mistakes show up a lot, even among confident learners. Fixing them makes your Spanish sound smoother right away.
Mixing up “son” and “es”
Fix: Use es la only for one o’clock. Use son las for two through twelve. So 2:17 is always son las dos y diecisiete.
Using “en” for scheduled times
English speakers sometimes want to say “en las dos y diecisiete.” That doesn’t fit for clock time.
Fix: Use a las for “at” a time: a las dos y diecisiete.
Dropping minutes in formal settings
If you’re dealing with a booking, a check-in, or a timed entry, skipping the minutes can cause confusion.
Fix: Keep the minutes: dos y diecisiete. If the format is written, use digits like 14:17.
A quick practice loop that sticks
If you want this to feel automatic, do a short loop that takes under two minutes. You can run it while you’re waiting for a kettle, an elevator, or a page to load.
- Say the time as if someone just asked you: Son las dos y diecisiete.
- Say it as a plan: A las dos y diecisiete salgo.
- Swap the minutes and keep the structure: Son las dos y cinco, Son las dos y veinte, Son las dos y veintinueve.
- Say one countdown version once: Son las tres menos cuarenta y tres.
After a few rounds, your mouth stops “translating” from English and starts producing the Spanish pattern on its own.
References & Sources
- Real Academia Española (RAE).“La expresión de la hora (I). Formas de manifestarla.”Explains standard spoken patterns like “en punto,” “y cuarto,” “y media,” and minute-based expressions.
- Real Academia Española (RAE) – Ortografía.“Uso de palabras o cifras en la escritura de la hora.”Gives guidance on writing time with words or digits and keeping formats consistent in Spanish text.
- FundéuRAE.“horas, grafía.”Summarizes common Spanish conventions for 12-hour and 24-hour time formats and related writing choices.
- Centro Virtual Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes).“Pedir y dar la hora.”Teaching-focused overview of asking and telling time with forms like “son las…” and “a las…”.