Learn Spanish (Spain): No sé la hora. - I do not know the time.

No sé la hora.

I do not know the time.

Breakdown of No sé la hora.

no / not

saber

to know (facts, information)

la hora

the hour; the time (on the clock: what time is it?)

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Questions & Answers about No sé la hora.

Why does this use la hora instead of el tiempo for the time?

In Spanish, el tiempo refers to time as a duration (like having enough time to do something) or the weather. When you are talking about the time on a clock, you must use la hora (literally the hour).

Why is the verb sé instead of a regular conjugation like sabo?

Sé comes from the verb saber (to know a fact or piece of information). It is highly irregular for the I form. Instead of following the normal rules, it becomes sé. The accent mark is important so it does not get confused with the pronoun se.

If we use las to tell the time (like las tres), why is it singular la hora here?

When stating a specific time, you use las for most hours because you are referring to a plural number of hours. But here, you aren't pointing to a specific time on the clock. You are just talking about the general concept of the time, which is the singular phrase la hora.