The title of the post sounds a bit weird, isn’t it?. Well, in this very blog we are going to see a very common mistake that people make in this first stages when they are expressing –At what time is it?– and –What time is it?-; Let’s see it in a clear example to show you what we are trying to say.
Here it is the question first, giving a specific point on when the movie starts:
¿A QUÉ HORA ES LA PELÍCULA?
AT WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE?
→ This is the correct answer giving the correct specific starting moment of the movie:
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES A LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS AT THE EIGHT
(The movie is at eight)
And this is the common mistake that we have seen in our lessons thousand of times:
¿A QUÉ HORA ES LA PELÍCULA?
AT WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE?
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES SON LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS ARE THE EIGHT
→ In this wrong answer people mess up both expressions; telling time and giving a specific starting point in time at the same time. Let’s see them both clearly separated:
- Giving time:
¿QUÉ HORA ES?
WHAT TIME IS (IT)?
8:00 PM → SON LAS OCHO
ARE THE EIGHT
(IT’S EIGHT PM)
- Giving a specific starting point in time:
¿A QUÉ HORA ES LA PELÍCULA?
AT WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE?
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES A LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS AT THE EIGHT
(The movie is at eight)
- And here again the common mistake:
¿A QUÉ HORA ES LA PELÍCULA?
AT WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE?
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES A SON LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS AT ARE THE EIGHT
◊ Note in the mistake:
- ES, refers to the description of that specific starting point, which is right.
- A; the preposition AT refers to the occurring point of time of any activity which is right within the question.
- SON, refers to the giving time expression, which is wrong because we are not telling the time that we find ourselves in.
Let’s see in them all together now:
¿A QUÉ HORA ES LA PELÍCULA?
AT WHAT TIME IS THE MOVIE?
→ Giving time (Wrong within the question):
8:00 PM → SON LAS OCHO
ARE THE EIGHT
(IT’S EIGHT PM)
→ Giving a specific starting point in time (Right within the question):
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES A LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS AT THE EIGHT
(The movie is at eight)
→ And here again the common mistake (Completely wrong in any sense):
8:00 PM
LA PELÍCULA ES A SON LAS OCHO
THE MOVIE IS AT ARE THE EIGHT
→ Of course, it also goes the way around; when people is trying to tell the time that they are in and is messed up with the expression of giving a specific starting point in time:
¿QUÉ HORA ES?
WHAT TIME IS (IT)?
8:00 PM → ES A LAS OCHO
IS AT THE EIGHT
◊ Note in this common mistake:
- ES, refers to the description of that specific starting point, which is WRONG because here we are telling the time that we are in the moment.
- A; the preposition AT expresses the occurring point of time of any activity, and in here is WRONG because we are telling the time that we are in the moment, and not an specific starting point in time of any activity.
→ A little bit confusing, isn’t it? However, get rid off this common mistake is just a matter of using both expressions and in this firsts stages of our learning that will be a little bit difficult, so, just keep it in mind and place them separately in your mind: –At what time is it?– and –What time is it?–
