Learn Spanish (Spain): Son las tres y cuarto.

When telling time in Spanish, the hour dictates the verb. Because three (tres) is more than one, it is plural, so we use son (the plural form of ser). You only use es for one o'clock (es la una).

Why is the word las included before tres?

When we state the time, we use feminine articles (la or las) because we are referring to the hidden word hora (hour) or horas (hours), which is a feminine noun. Since three hours is plural, we use las.

Is cuarto the number four?

No, the number four is cuatro. Cuarto means quarter (15 minutes). They look very similar, so it is a common trap for beginners!

How does y work when telling time?

In Spanish, you add minutes to the hour using y (and) for the first 30 minutes of the hour. So, las tres y cuarto literally translates to "the three and a quarter".