Spanish Phrase
¿A qué hora?
Meaning
A concise way to ask ‘At what time?’ It is used when you want to know the exact hour of an event, meeting, or activity.
When to use
Use this phrase after someone mentions an activity, a plan, or a schedule and you need the specific time. It works in both formal and informal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Aquéhora?
A (preposition)
The preposition 'a' is used to indicate a point in time, equivalent to English 'at'.
qué (interrogative)
The word 'qué' means 'what' and introduces a question about a specific detail.
hora (noun)
‘Hora’ means ‘hour’ or ‘time’; it is a feminine noun that follows the preposition.
Question marks
Spanish uses an opening (¿) and closing (?) question mark for every interrogative sentence.
🗨In Conversation
¿A qué hora?
At what time?
A las tres de la tarde.
At three in the afternoon.
✕Common Mistakes
¿A que hora?
Missing accent on ‘qué’; without the accent it is not an interrogative word.
¿A qué horas?
‘Horas’ is plural and sounds odd unless you are asking about multiple times.
¿A qué tiempo?
‘Tiempo’ means ‘weather’ or ‘period’, not the specific hour of the day.
↔Alternatives
¿Qué hora es?
What time is it?
¿A qué hora será?
What time will it be?
¿A qué hora empieza?
What time does it start?
¿A qué hora nos vemos?
What time shall we meet?
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries the 24‑hour clock is preferred for written schedules, especially on buses, trains, and official documents. In everyday conversation people often use the 12‑hour clock and add ‘de la mañana’, ‘de la tarde’ or ‘de la noche’ to avoid ambiguity. Remember to keep the accent on ‘qué’; without it the phrase changes meaning.