Spanish Phrase
¿Me puedes decir la hora?
Meaning
A polite way to ask someone to tell you the current time. It combines a personal pronoun with a request verb, making it friendly yet respectful.
When to use
Use this phrase in everyday conversation when you need to know the time, especially in informal or semi‑formal settings such as with classmates, coworkers, or strangers on the street.
✦Grammar Breakdown
¿Mepuedesdecirlahora?
Me (indirect object pronoun)
‘Me’ indicates that the action of the verb is directed toward the speaker, equivalent to ‘to me’ in English.
puedes (present of poder)
‘Poder’ means ‘to be able to’; in the second‑person singular present it forms a polite request: ‘can you…’.
decir (infinitive)
The infinitive follows ‘poder’ to express the action that can be performed: ‘to tell’.
la hora (noun phrase)
‘Hora’ is a feminine noun meaning ‘time’ or ‘hour’; the definite article ‘la’ specifies ‘the time’.
Question marks
Spanish uses an opening (¿) and closing (?) question mark for all interrogative sentences.
🗨In Conversation
¿Me puedes decir la hora?
Can you tell me the time?
Claro, son las tres y cuarto.
Sure, it’s three fifteen.
✕Common Mistakes
¿Me puedes decir el tiempo?
‘Tiempo’ means ‘time’ in the abstract sense (weather, duration). Use ‘hora’ when asking for the clock time.
¿Me puedes decir el hora?
‘Hora’ is feminine; the article must be ‘la’, not ‘el’.
¿Puedes me decir la hora?
The indirect object pronoun must precede the conjugated verb: ‘Me puedes…’, not ‘Puedes me…’.
↔Alternatives
¿Podrías decirme la hora?
Could you tell me the time?
¿Me dice la hora, por favor?
Would you tell me the time, please?
¿Qué hora es?
What time is it?
Cultural Tip
In most Spanish‑speaking countries it’s considered courteous to add ‘por favor’ when asking for the time, especially with strangers or in formal contexts. The 24‑hour clock is common in schedules, but in casual speech people usually use the 12‑hour format with ‘de la mañana/tarde/noche’. Adjust your phrasing accordingly: ‘¿Me puedes decir la hora?’ is informal‑friendly, while ‘¿Me podría decir la hora, por favor?’ sounds more formal.