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Mi cita con el doctor es a las nueve y media.

Mi cita con el doctor es a las nueve y media.
My appointment with the doctor is at half past nine.
From Lesson 56:Telling time (es la..., son las...)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Mi cita con el doctor es a las nueve y media.

Why do we say es a las instead of son las nueve y media?
son las nueve y media means 'it is 9:30' right now. Because we are talking about when an event happens, we use a las to mean 'at'. So, es a las translates to 'is at'.
Why is it las in a las? Are we talking about multiple appointments?
No, the las doesn't refer to your appointment. When telling time in Spanish, we always use feminine articles (la or las) because they refer to the hidden word horas (hours). Since nine is plural (more than one hour), we use las.
Can I say nueve y treinta instead of nueve y media?
Yes, you can! Just like in English, you have two options. You can say nueve y media (half past nine) or nueve y treinta (nine thirty). Both are very common.
I thought cita meant a romantic date. Can it also be a doctor's appointment?
Exactly! cita is the general word for an arrangement to meet. It works for a romantic date, but it is also the standard word for a professional appointment with a doctor, dentist, or mechanic.
Why do we use es instead of está for this sentence?
You might remember that estar is used for physical locations. However, there is a special rule for events. When we are talking about when or where an event takes place (like a party, a meeting, or an appointment), we always use ser.

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