¿Qué Hora Es?

Here's a great way to introduce the basics of telling time in Spanish. With "¿Qué Hora Es?" you will learn how to ask, "What time is it?" and how to answer that question - "It's 8 o'clock," "It's 9 o'clock," etc.

The melody is very easy to learn. The "A" section has two verses - the first in Spanish and the second in English. For the "B" section, you sing the time starting from 8 o'clock (son las ocho) and going through to 3 o'clock (son las tres). We thought it would be fun to go through the hours of a (somewhat) typical school day. That's why at 3 o'clock you hear the school bell ringing and kids cheering and saying "¡Adiós!" (Which your kids can also do.)

The accompaniment for this song has a nice mariachi sound with a rhythm section featuring a nylon guitar, trumpets, and tuba. You could also add some of your own clave, maraca, or shaker players. They could just keep time, or you could create your own parts for them.

Please note that there is a pronunciation guide for this song available on our web site. You can hear each phrase pronounced with time to repeat it back. Then, all the Spanish lines are spoken in rhythm.

Online extras - The free, downloadable guide mentioned can be found under the "Graphics and Extras" for Volume 19, No. 4 at MusicK8.com