A0 · Punto Cero Capítulo 5

Domina tu agenda: Cómo hablar del tiempo y tus planes

3 Reglas totales
35 ejemplos
5 min
Reglas en este capítulo Práctica rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the clock and the calendar to organize your world and share your plans.

  • Navigate past, present, and future with simple time markers.
  • Use prepositions correctly to describe specific parts of your day.
  • Tell the time clearly using the 'o'clock' system.
Your day, organized and shared with ease.

Lo que aprenderás

¡Qué emoción que estés aquí! En este capítulo vamos a darle orden a tu vida en inglés para que puedas comunicarte con total claridad. ¿Alguna vez has querido quedar con un amigo o contar qué hiciste ayer sin dudar? Aquí aprenderás a hacerlo de forma natural y fluida. Primero, dominaremos los pilares fundamentales: *today*, *tomorrow* y *yesterday*. Estas palabras son la base para situar cualquier conversación en el tiempo. Luego, subiremos de nivel con las partes del día, aprendiendo a usar correctamente estructuras como *in the morning*, *at night* y *on the weekend*. Te enseñaré el truco de las preposiciones para que nunca más te confundas al organizar un café el sábado o una cena especial. Para cerrar con broche de oro, aprenderás a decir la hora exacta usando *o’clock* y a manejar AM y PM sin complicaciones. Imagina que estás coordinando una reunión de trabajo por Zoom o preguntando a qué hora sale tu próximo vuelo; con estas herramientas, lo harás con total seguridad. Al terminar este capítulo, no solo conocerás vocabulario suelto, sino que serás capaz de describir tu rutina diaria completa y, lo más importante, ¡podrás hacer y confirmar planes reales con cualquier persona! ¡Vamos a darle cuerda al reloj!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to identify and use 'today', 'tomorrow', and 'yesterday' to sequence events.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to select the correct prepositions (in, at, on) for different times of the day.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to state the current time using 'It is' and 'o'clock'.

Guía del capítulo

Overview

Knowing how to talk about time is one of the most useful skills you'll learn as you begin your English journey. Imagine wanting to share what you did yesterday, what you're doing today, or your fun plans for tomorrow! This chapter will give you the essential building blocks to do just that.
You'll discover easy ways to name different parts of your day, like in the morning or at night, and even learn how to tell someone the time.
This isn't just about learning words; it's about connecting with people and making simple plans. Whether you want to say,
I work today
or "Let's meet at 3 o'clock," mastering these basics will open up new conversations. Getting comfortable with these phrases is a fantastic first step in English talking about time for beginners and a core part of your journey to learn English A0 grammar.
It makes every interaction clearer and helps you organize your daily life in English.
### How This Grammar Works
Let's break down the simple rules for talking about time. We'll start with how to refer to different days, then move to parts of the day, and finally, telling the exact hour.
First, the basic time words for days:
* Today means this day, right now. Example: I eat pizza today.
* Tomorrow means the day after today. When you talk about tomorrow, you usually use a verb for the future, like will. Example: I will eat pizza tomorrow.
* Yesterday means the day before today. When you talk about yesterday, you use a verb for the past. Example: I ate pizza yesterday. Notice ate is the past of eat.
Next, let's look at parts of the day:
* We use the word in for larger parts of the day, like in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening. Example: I drink coffee in the morning.
* For night, we use at. Example: I sleep at night.
* When you add a specific day, like for the weekend or a specific day of the week, we use on. Example: I relax on the weekend. Or: I go to work on Monday.
Finally, telling the time for exact hours:
* When the minutes are zero, we use o'clock. It's very simple! Example: It's 7 o'clock. Or: My class is at 9 o'clock. We say the number first, then o'clock.
### Common Mistakes
Here are a few easy-to-make mistakes and how to fix them to sound more natural.
  1. 1Wrong verb tense with yesterday or tomorrow.
✗ I will eat breakfast yesterday. (Incorrect tense for past action)
✓ I ate breakfast yesterday. (Use past tense for yesterday)
✗ I played soccer tomorrow. (Incorrect tense for future action)
✓ I will play soccer tomorrow. (Use future tense for tomorrow)
  1. 1Using the wrong small word for parts of the day.
✗ I read book on night.
✓ I read book at night. (Use at for night)
✗ We meet at the morning.
✓ We meet in the morning. (Use in for morning)
  1. 1Forgetting "o'clock" for exact hours or using it incorrectly.
✗ It's 3 time.
✓ It's 3 o'clock. (Use o'clock for exact hours)
✗ It's 3 o'clock and thirty minutes. (No, o'clock is only for exact hours)
✓ It's 3 o'clock. (Only use o'clock when the minutes are zero)
### Real Conversations
See how these simple time words help in everyday chats:
A: What do you do today?
B: I work in the morning. Then, I relax in the afternoon.
A: What time is it?
B: It's 5 o'clock.
A: Oh! I go home at 5 o'clock.
A: Do you work on the weekend?
B: No, I relax on the weekend. I will visit my friend tomorrow.
### Quick FAQ
Q: How do you ask someone what time it is in English?
A: You can simply ask,
What time is it?
or "What's the time?" These are both very common and polite.
Q: Can I say morning without in the?
A: Yes, you can say Good morning! or
See you tomorrow morning.
But when you describe an action happening during that part of the day, you usually use
in the morning.
For example:
I eat breakfast in the morning.
Q: What if the time is not an exact hour (like 3:30)?
A: At the A0 level, focus on o'clock for exact hours. You will learn how to say other times later, but for now, "It's 3 o'clock" is perfect if the clock shows 3:00.
Q: What are some other common time words for A0 learners?
A: Good question! You can also learn now (for this moment) and later (for a time after now). For example:
I am busy now. I will call you later.
### Cultural Context
English speakers use these simple time expressions constantly in daily life. Saying
at night,
in the morning,
or
tomorrow
is very natural and expected. Don't worry about being too formal; these basic phrases are the building blocks for all kinds of conversations, from making plans with friends to talking about your workday.
Just keep it simple and consistent with the rules you've learned.

Ejemplos clave (2)

1

I have a meeting `today` at 10 AM.

Tengo una reunión hoy a las 10 AM.

Palabras básicas de tiempo: Hoy, Mañana, Ayer
2

She will call me `tomorrow` afternoon.

Ella me llamará mañana por la tarde.

Palabras básicas de tiempo: Hoy, Mañana, Ayer

Consejos y trucos (3)

💡

La posición es flexible

Estas palabras pueden ir al principio o al final de tu frase sin problemas:
I am busy today.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Palabras básicas de tiempo: Hoy, Mañana, Ayer
💡

Míralo como un patrón

No busques una lógica profunda a cada preposición; a veces son solo piezas que encajan. Memoriza frases fijas como in the morning.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Partes del día: Por la mañana, Por la noche, El fin de semana
💡

Practica con tu rutina diaria

Di en voz alta a qué hora haces cada cosa para que suene natural:
I wake up at seven am.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Son las 3 en punto — Decir la hora

Vocabulario clave (7)

Today The current day Tomorrow The day after today Yesterday The day before today Morning The early part of the day Night The time when it is dark Weekend Saturday and Sunday O'clock Of the clock (used for top of the hour)

Real-World Preview

users

Meeting a Friend

Review Summary

  • [Time Word] + [Verb]
  • In the [Period] / At [Night] / On the [Weekend]
  • It is + [Number] + o'clock

Errores comunes

While we use 'in the' for morning/afternoon, 'night' always takes the preposition 'at'.

Wrong: I work in the night.
Correcto: I work at night.

In English, we use 'o'clock' to tell the time. 'Hours' refers to a duration of time, not a point on the clock.

Wrong: It is 5 hours.
Correcto: It is 5 o'clock.

We use 'on' for days and the weekend in American English (though 'at' is used in British English, 'on' is standard for A0 learners).

Wrong: I see you in the weekend.
Correcto: I see you on the weekend.

Next Steps

You're doing great! Being able to talk about time is a huge step toward fluency. Keep practicing your 'o'clocks'!

Look at your watch every hour and say the time out loud.

Write three sentences about what you did yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Continue to: Survival & Socializing

Práctica rápida (8)

Elige la preposición correcta.

I like to read books ___ the evening.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: in
Para 'evening', siempre usamos la preposición 'in'. Por lo tanto, 'in the evening' es lo correcto.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Partes del día: Por la mañana, Por la noche, El fin de semana

Encuentra y corrige el error.

Find and fix the mistake:

They often go shopping in weekend.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: They often go shopping on the weekend.
Para el 'weekend', la preposición correcta es 'on' y solemos incluir el 'the'. 'On the weekend' es lo ideal.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Partes del día: Por la mañana, Por la noche, El fin de semana

¿Qué oración es la correcta?

Elige la opción acertada:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She works hard in the morning.
Usamos 'in the morning' para referirnos al periodo general de la mañana.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Partes del día: Por la mañana, Por la noche, El fin de semana

¿Cuál oración es correcta?

Choose the correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: My alarm rings at six thirty am.
Los minutos van justo después de la hora, y luego el am o pm.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Son las 3 en punto — Decir la hora

Elige la palabra de tiempo correcta.

I will visit my grandma ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: tomorrow
Como 'will visit' indica una acción futura, tomorrow es la opción correcta.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Palabras básicas de tiempo: Hoy, Mañana, Ayer

Elige la forma correcta de decir la hora.

The class starts at nine _____.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: o'clock
Usamos o'clock para referirnos a horas exactas.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Son las 3 en punto — Decir la hora

Encuentra y corrige el error.

Find and fix the mistake:

The party begins at seven o'clock pm.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: The party begins at seven pm.
No combines o'clock con am o pm. Elige una de las dos opciones.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Son las 3 en punto — Decir la hora

¿Qué oración usa correctamente la palabra de tiempo?

Elige la oración correcta:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: She went to the gym yesterday.
Yesterday no necesita la preposición 'on' y el verbo 'went' está correctamente en pasado.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Palabras básicas de tiempo: Hoy, Mañana, Ayer

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (6)

Las tres palabras básicas son Today (hoy), Tomorrow (mañana) y Yesterday (ayer).
They help you talk about time.
¡Para nada! Estas palabras funcionan solas y no necesitan preposiciones como 'on'.
I saw him yesterday.
Para estos tres momentos, casi siempre usamos in the. Por ejemplo:
I exercise in the morning.
Úsalo para referirte al periodo general de la noche. Por ejemplo:
The stars shine at night.
¡Solo di la hora y luego los minutos! Por ejemplo:
It is four twenty.
Úsalo solo para horas exactas, sin minutos, como: "It is five o'clock."
Capítulo anterior
Expresa lo que sientes y haces: ¡Tus primeras frases reales!
Siguiente capítulo
Survival & Socializing
Volver a la hoja de ruta