Before you go somewhere, you want to know whether it's open. Learn to read opening hours on a sign and to ask when a place opens and closes.
Your turn
What does this sign tell you?
Horario: lunes a viernes de 9:00 a 16:00
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
The opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. el horario is a schedule, here the opening hours.
Did you know it?
The main idea
On a sign, 16:00 is 4 p.m. In speech, people usually say the hour with de la mañana, de la tarde or de la noche:
On the sign
Said aloud
9:00
las nueve de la mañana
14:00
las dos de la tarde
18:00
las seis de la tarde
21:00
las nueve de la noche
Signs often shorten the days: lun., mar., mié., jue., vie., sáb., dom.
Read: three signs
Ben needs a bank, a pharmacy and a bakery. He reads three signs on his street.
The bank:
Horario
Lunes a viernes
9:00 a 16:00
Sábado
9:00 a 14:00
Domingo
Cerrado
The pharmacy: Abierto las 24 horas
The bakery: Lun. a sáb. 7:00 a 21:00 · Dom. 8:00 a 14:00
Your turn
When does the bank close on Saturday?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
Sábado 9:00 a 14:00: 14:00 is two in the afternoon.
Your turn
Ben wants to go to the bank on Sunday. Is it open?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
Domingo: Cerrado.
Your turn
Ben needs medicine at midnight. Where can he go?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
The pharmacy is abierto las 24 horas: open around the clock.
Ask when
¿A qué hora abren?
What time do you open?
¿A qué hora cierran?
What time do you close?
¿Abren los domingos?
Are you open on Sundays?
Abrimos de nueve a seis.
We're open from nine to six.
Cerramos a las ocho.
We close at eight.
Hoy está cerrado.
It's closed today.
¿A qué hora abren? asks the people who work there; ¿A qué hora abre la farmacia? asks about the place. cerrar (to close) changes its e to ie in these forms: cierra, cierran. You'll meet more verbs like it later.
Ben:Disculpe, ¿a qué hora cierran hoy?
Excuse me, what time do you close today?
Empleada:Hoy cerramos a las ocho.
Today we close at eight.
Ben:¿Y abren los domingos?
And are you open on Sundays?
Empleada:Sí, los domingos abrimos de diez a seis.
Yes, on Sundays we're open from ten to six.
¿A qué hora es abierto?Less natural
¿A qué hora abren?
What time do you open?
Quick check
Your turn
Which time on a sign is 6 p.m.?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
6 p.m. is 18:00 on the 24-hour clock.
Your turn
Ask what time the store closes:
¿A qué hora ?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
¿A qué hora cierran?
¿A qué hora cierra?
cierran asks the people who work there, cierra asks about the store; both are fine.
Your turn
How do you ask whether a place is open on Sundays?
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
los domingos, with no word for on, and the verb abren.
Your turn
You're at a bakery. Ask what time they close and whether they're open on Sundays.
CorrectNot quiteCheck the capital letters.Check the accents.
¿A qué hora cierran? ¿Abren los domingos?
Disculpe, ¿a qué hora cierran hoy? ¿Y los domingos abren?
¿A qué hora cierran? and ¿Abren los domingos?
Did you know it?
Take with you
¿A qué hora abren?
What time do you open?
¿A qué hora cierran?
What time do you close?
¿Abren los domingos?
Are you open on Sundays?
Abrimos de nueve a seis.
We're open from nine to six.
Hoy está cerrado.
It's closed today.
Abierto las veinticuatro horas.
Open twenty-four hours.
abierto and cerrado say how a place is; abren and cierran say when it opens and closes.
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