Breakdown of La clase termina a las doce en punto.
las
the (feminine plural)
a
to
terminar
to finish / to end
la clase
the class
doce
twelve
el punto
the dot / the point
en punto
on the dot, sharp
Questions & Answers about La clase termina a las doce en punto.
Why do we use a las doce here instead of son las doce?
Son las doce means "It is twelve o'clock." Because we want to state at what time an event happens, we use the preposition a (at) followed by the time: a las doce (at twelve).
What does en punto literally mean?
It translates roughly to "in point" or "on point," but it is the standard Spanish phrase for "on the dot" or "exactly." You use it right after the hour, just like we use "sharp" in English.
Why is twelve feminine plural (las doce)? Numbers don't usually have a gender, right?
When telling time, the numbers are treated as feminine plural because they secretly refer to las horas (the hours), which is a feminine plural noun. You will always use las for time, except for one o'clock, which uses the singular la (la una).
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