Breakdown of Es la una en punto.
ser
to be
en
in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)
uno
one
el punto
the point
Questions & Answers about Es la una en punto.
Why do we use es here instead of son like we do for other times?
In Spanish, telling time uses the verb ser (to be). We use the singular form es for one o'clock because one is a single hour. For all other hours, we use the plural son (for example, Son las dos means 'It is two o'clock').
Why do we say la una instead of el uno?
When telling time, we are actually referring to la hora (the hour), which is a feminine noun. Because of this, we always use the feminine article (la or las) and the feminine form of the number one, which is una.
What does en punto literally mean?
It literally means 'in point' or 'on dot'. In everyday Spanish, this phrase is used just like 'on the dot' or 'exactly' to show it is the top of the hour with no extra minutes.