The question I was supposed to answer was “¿A qué hora es el almuerzo?”. They said it was at 12 pm. So I wrote “El almuerzo es a las doce de la tarde.” But they said it was supposed to be “El almuerzo es a las doce del día.” Shouldn’t both work? I would never use "tarde" for 12 pm. For me "tarde" is always used some time after lunch. The most natural answer here in Spain would be "El almuerzo es a las 12 de la mañana" because we start having lunch after 13pm so we consider 12pm still morning. But technically 12pm is already noon so in other countries "El almuerzo es a las 12 del mediodía" is more correct. This is fine in Spain too and can be used, so you could stick to this answer as the correct one. But I would avoid "tarde" here anyway. On the other one I got wrong, they gave us times and we were supposed to say what time it is. It said 12:00 am. I put “Son las doce de la mañana.” It was corrected as “Son las doce de la noche.” Before this, I thought that de la mañana = anytime in the AM, de la tarde = PM before dark, and de la noche = PM after dark. Is this incorrect? I know that the other ways to say 12 PM and 12 AM are “mediodía” and “medianoche” but why were my answers wrong? I do consider 12 AM night not morning, so I guess de la noche makes sense, however the correct answer for 1:00 AM was “Es la una de la mañana.” Is it not correct to say de la mañana until 1 AM? I think of 1 AM as night as well. You use "de la mañana" after 12 AM but you don't include 12 AM. 12 AM = de la noche 1 AM = de la mañana As a side note. In some countries (Spain, Chile, maybe there are more) we use the 24 hour system and rarely use the AM/PM system when writing. Answer from haitike on reddit.com
The question I was supposed to answer was “¿A qué hora es el almuerzo?”. They said it was at 12 pm. So I wrote “El almuerzo es a las doce de la tarde.” But they said it was supposed to be “El almuerzo es a las doce del día.” Shouldn’t both work? I would never use "tarde" for 12 pm. For me "tarde" is always used some time after lunch. The most natural answer here in Spain would be "El almuerzo es a las 12 de la mañana" because we start having lunch after 13pm so we consider 12pm still morning. But technically 12pm is already noon so in other countries "El almuerzo es a las 12 del mediodía" is more correct. This is fine in Spain too and can be used, so you could stick to this answer as the correct one. But I would avoid "tarde" here anyway. On the other one I got wrong, they gave us times and we were supposed to say what time it is. It said 12:00 am. I put “Son las doce de la mañana.” It was corrected as “Son las doce de la noche.” Before this, I thought that de la mañana = anytime in the AM, de la tarde = PM before dark, and de la noche = PM after dark. Is this incorrect? I know that the other ways to say 12 PM and 12 AM are “mediodía” and “medianoche” but why were my answers wrong? I do consider 12 AM night not morning, so I guess de la noche makes sense, however the correct answer for 1:00 AM was “Es la una de la mañana.” Is it not correct to say de la mañana until 1 AM? I think of 1 AM as night as well. You use "de la mañana" after 12 AM but you don't include 12 AM. 12 AM = de la noche 1 AM = de la mañana As a side note. In some countries (Spain, Chile, maybe there are more) we use the 24 hour system and rarely use the AM/PM system when writing. Answer from haitike on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnspanish › what are the correct ways to say 12 am and 12 pm in spanish?
r/learnspanish on Reddit: What are the correct ways to say 12 AM and 12 PM in Spanish?
February 24, 2021 -

I am a beginner Spanish student and we are learning how to say what time things are at and tell the time. On an online homework assignment, I got these two wrong.

The question I was supposed to answer was “¿A qué hora es el almuerzo?”. They said it was at 12 pm. So I wrote “El almuerzo es a las doce de la tarde.” But they said it was supposed to be “El almuerzo es a las doce del día.” Shouldn’t both work?

On the other one I got wrong, they gave us times and we were supposed to say what time it is. It said 12:00 am. I put “Son las doce de la mañana.” It was corrected as “Son las doce de la noche.”

Before this, I thought that de la mañana = anytime in the AM, de la tarde = PM before dark, and de la noche = PM after dark. Is this incorrect? I know that the other ways to say 12 PM and 12 AM are “mediodía” and “medianoche” but why were my answers wrong?

I do consider 12 AM night not morning, so I guess de la noche makes sense, however the correct answer for 1:00 AM was “Es la una de la mañana.” Is it not correct to say de la mañana until 1 AM? I think of 1 AM as night as well.

Anyways, thanks in advance. I know probably I over complicated the question with all my writing, but I wanted to share my thought processes.

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The question I was supposed to answer was “¿A qué hora es el almuerzo?”. They said it was at 12 pm. So I wrote “El almuerzo es a las doce de la tarde.” But they said it was supposed to be “El almuerzo es a las doce del día.” Shouldn’t both work? I would never use "tarde" for 12 pm. For me "tarde" is always used some time after lunch. The most natural answer here in Spain would be "El almuerzo es a las 12 de la mañana" because we start having lunch after 13pm so we consider 12pm still morning. But technically 12pm is already noon so in other countries "El almuerzo es a las 12 del mediodía" is more correct. This is fine in Spain too and can be used, so you could stick to this answer as the correct one. But I would avoid "tarde" here anyway. On the other one I got wrong, they gave us times and we were supposed to say what time it is. It said 12:00 am. I put “Son las doce de la mañana.” It was corrected as “Son las doce de la noche.” Before this, I thought that de la mañana = anytime in the AM, de la tarde = PM before dark, and de la noche = PM after dark. Is this incorrect? I know that the other ways to say 12 PM and 12 AM are “mediodía” and “medianoche” but why were my answers wrong? I do consider 12 AM night not morning, so I guess de la noche makes sense, however the correct answer for 1:00 AM was “Es la una de la mañana.” Is it not correct to say de la mañana until 1 AM? I think of 1 AM as night as well. You use "de la mañana" after 12 AM but you don't include 12 AM. 12 AM = de la noche 1 AM = de la mañana As a side note. In some countries (Spain, Chile, maybe there are more) we use the 24 hour system and rarely use the AM/PM system when writing.
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In spanish (Chile), time works something like this: 1:00 am to 11:59 am: [x hour] de la mañana. Since dawn to 11:59 am: [x hour] del día. 12:00 pm: 12 del día/ 12 del mediodía /12 de la tarde. 12:00 pm to 07:59 pm/19:59: [x hour] de la tarde. From the sunset/8:00 pm/20:00 to 12:59 am/00:59: [x hour] de la noche. 12:00 am/00:00: 12 de la medianoche. Also, you could easely say "12:00 am" in spanish, like "doce a (ah) m (ehme)". The concept of AM and PM have a translation in spanish: ante meridiano y pasado meridiano. I hope that this help you!
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › answers › how do you say 12:00 pm in spanish and 12:00 am in spanish?
How do you say 12:00 pm in Spanish and 12:00 am in Spanish? | SpanishDictionary.com Answers
12 am( las doce de la ma`nana) or (medio dia) depends what you are goin to say for example - they are coming out at 12 noon, thats ( medio dia) or they close at 12 am ( ellos sierran a las doce de la madrugada) 12 pm ( media noche) ...
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › translate › 12:00 am
12:00 am in Spanish | English to Spanish Translation - SpanishDictionary.com
Translate 12:00 am. See authoritative translations of 12:00 am in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
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Brainly
brainly.com › spanish › high school › how do you say 12:00 am in spanish?
[FREE] How do you say 12:00 am in Spanish? - brainly.com
In Spanish, 12:00 AM is referred to as 'doce de la mañana' or 'medianoche', which means midnight. These terms are used interchangeably depending on the context.
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Lawless Spanish
lawlessspanish.com › lawless spanish › grammar lessons
Telling Time in Spanish - Essential Spanish Grammar - Lawless Spanish
May 13, 2025 - Spanish doesn't have perfect equivalents for "a.m." and "p.m." You can use de la mañana for am, de la tarde from noon until 6 p.m., and de la noche from 6 p.m. until midnight, but time is usually expressed on a 24-hour clock.
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Google Translate
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Reverso
context.reverso.net › translation › english-spanish › 12+am
12 am - Translation into Spanish - examples English | Reverso Context
Therefore, in Mérida, the party won't really start until around 12 am. Por lo que, en Mérida, la fiesta normalmente se prenderá hasta alrededor de las 12 am. Enterprise, tx - 3:12 am felt very clearly. Monte Empresa, TX - 3:12 am se sintió muy claramente.
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › answers › how do you write 12:00am?
How do you write 12:00am? | SpanishDictionary.com Answers
I think Spanish people consider morning as ending around 2:00: p.m. so midnight is probably 12 de la noche; 12 de la mañana would be mediodía.
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › translate › 12:00 a.m
12:00 a.m in Spanish | English to Spanish Translation - SpanishDictionary.com
Translate 12:00 a.m. See authoritative translations of 12:00 a.m in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › translate › am
12 am | Spanish to English Translation - SpanishDictionary.com
Estás sintonizando Radio Nova, AM 910.You're listening to Radio Nova, 910 AM.Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Media Group, Inc. ... Roll the dice and learn a new word now! ... Spanish learning for everyone. For free. ... Get conjugations, examples, and pronunciations for millions of words and phrases in Spanish and English. Access millions of accurate translations written by our team of experienced English-Spanish translators.
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › translate › 12:00am
12:00am in Spanish | English to Spanish Translation - SpanishDictionary.com
Translate 12:00am. See authoritative translations of 12:00am in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
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Brainly
brainly.com › world languages › college › ¿cómo se dice "12:00 am" en español? how can you say "12:00 am" in spanish?
[FREE] ¿Cómo se dice "12:00 AM" en español? How can you say "12:00 AM" in Spanish? - brainly.com
En español, la expresión equivalente a '12:00 AM' es 'las doce de la madrugada' o simplemente 'medianoche'. En el sistema de horario utilizado en gran parte de los países de habla hispana, se utiliza el formato de 12 horas y 'AM' indica la ...
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Spanish411
spanish411.net › Spanish-Times-Dates.asp
Times and Dates in Spanish - Spanish411
To ask someone what time it is in Spanish, say this: · ¿Qué hora es? What time is it
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SpanishDictionary.com
spanishdict.com › spanishdictionary.com › translate › 12:00
12:00 in Spanish | English to Spanish Translation - SpanishDictionary.com
Translate 12:00. See authoritative translations of 12:00 in Spanish with example sentences and audio pronunciations.
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Reverso
context.reverso.net › translation › spanish-english › 12am
12am - Translation into English - examples Spanish | Reverso Context
Los colectivos operan diariamente de 6am a 12am dando acceso a las principales calles del pueblo. Bus routes run from 6 am until 12 am daily providing access into town on the main streets.
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Quora
quora.com › Is-a-m-and-p-m-used-in-Spanish-If-not-what-is
Is a.m. and p.m. used in Spanish? If not, what is? - Quora
Answer (1 of 7): Please note that this answer applies specifically to Spain. I can't speak for other Spanish-speaking countries. No, we don't use a.m./p.m. We use a 24-hour notation, specially in written Spanish. * 8:00 am --> 08:00 * 3:00 pm --> 15:00 * 5:30 pm --> 17:30 * midnight --> 00:0...
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Study.com
study.com › courses › foreign language courses › spanish 101: beginning spanish
How to Tell the Hour in Spanish - Lesson | Study.com
September 15, 2013 - It's 3:00 Son las tres. It's 1:00 Es la una. It's 6:00 Son las seis. It's 9:00 Son las nueve. It's 11:00 Son las once. It's 2:00 Son las dos. It's 10:00 Son las diez. It's 12:00 Son las doce.
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Busuu
busuu.com › en › spanish › time
Time in Spanish: Complete Guide to Telling the Time - Busuu
In spoken Spanish, the less formal twelve-hour clock is used, while the 24-hour clock is more common in written Spanish. However, Spanish doesn’t have AM and PM, so to make it clear which time you mean, you can add the following phrases after the time: