Spanish: "faltan cinco para las menos cuarto"English translation: it's five minutes till quarter to 
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| GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | | Spanish term or phrase: | "faltan cinco para las menos cuarto" | | English translation: | it's five minutes till quarter to | | Entered by: | Marcelo González |
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Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters | | Spanish term or phrase: "faltan cinco para las menos cuarto" | Context:
Una persona se tiene que encontrar con la otra a las cinco menos cuarto. "It's twenty to four" sería una linda forma de salir del paso. Pero si quiero mencionar el "menos cuarto", ¿cómo sería? No logro pensar una frase que suene correcta en inglés...
THX!
THX! |
| | Clarification request(s) and responseHenry Hinds: 5:21pm Jan 26, 2006: No tiene sentido, favor de aclarar. -
María Teresa Taylor Oliver: 6:15pm Jan 26, 2006: Cinco menos cuarto = 4:45 = a quarter to five (NOT to four). -
teju: 6:18pm Jan 26, 2006: Yo tampoco entiendo bien. ¿Se tienen que encontrar a las cinco menos cuarto (4:45) o cinco minutos antes de esa hora, a las cinco menos veinte? -
María Teresa Taylor Oliver: 6:21pm Jan 26, 2006: Lo que yo entiendo es que tienen que reunirse a las 4:45, y cuando faltan cinco minutos para la hora acordada, una de ellas dice "faltan cinco para las menos cuarto". Yo diría "it's twenty to five" o quizá "it's still five minutes before the meeting"... -
Elizabeth Lyons: 6:42pm Jan 26, 2006: If you want to say 20 minutes to 5:00 you simply say: "4:40"! There is really no need to say "almost 4:45". : ) -
Marcelo González: 6:46pm Jan 26, 2006: "It's five minutes till quarter to" (which I've suggeted below) :-) -
Ana Brassara: 7:13pm Jan 26, 2006: Hola, Ale. Acá en Argentina a veces he escuchado eso de "faltan dos minutos para y media",por ej que se parece a lo que preguntás vos. Yo entiendo que la hora a la que se está refieriendo es a "X menos veinte", como diríamos acá. tristar esta en lo cierto -
Alejandra Tolj: 7:28pm Jan 26, 2006: Thank you all for your help. I've made a mess with the correct time. That was not the point, anyway. I just want to know how you would say "five to a quater to..." I don't quite like the sound of it.
Sarah McGrane Gonzalez: 7:31pm Jan 26, 2006: Ale, really you just wouldn't say five to a quarter to. That's why it sounds odd to you. Just go with twenty to, or "its just turning quarter to five" is another option. -
Henry Hinds: 8:46pm Jan 26, 2006: Ponlo en números, porfa, no te entiendo de veras. -
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| | (a) quarter to four | Explanation:
Judging from your description (below), this might be what you meant...
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Note added at 10 mins (2006-01-26 17:28:28 GMT)
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Es decir, cuando usted dice, "una persona...con la otra **a las cinco menos cuarto**"
Suerte, AleTolj!
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-01-26 18:28:20 GMT)
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Excuse me: As Maria Teresa points out below, that would be "a quarter to FIVE" (not "four") :-)
las cinco menos cuarto = (a) quarter to five
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-01-26 18:43:54 GMT)
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Given the latest comments/explanations, I'd say "It's five minutes till quarter to" (without mentioning five)
faltan cinco para las menos cuarto = five minutes till quarter to
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Note added at 5 hrs (2006-01-26 22:56:17 GMT)
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Hola AleTolj,
How about this: "It's/there's (only) five minutes till quarter to [the agreed upon time]" (this use of "it's" is very colloquial, but used quite a bit, especially among certain groups, here in the US)
I agree with Sarah: You wouldn't say "it's five to a quarter to," but "it's five minutes till," YES, e.g., "it's/there's only 10 minutes till the movie starts. Let's get going."
GRAMMAR: There is vs. There are
In the US, there are many instances in which the rules of (prescriptive) grammar require the use of "there are," but people (choose to) use "there is"; this is one of those instances, e.g., "There's only five minutes till lunch. Can we leave?" (asks the low achieving student, who's already closed his book). :-) |
| Selected response from:
 Marcelo González
Mexico
| Note from asker to answererThank you all! I'll choose "It's five minutes till quarter to" because I need to mention the "quarter to".
Thank you all again for your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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7 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +1 |
21 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1 |
| a twenty to (see below for clarification)
Explanation:
My understanding is that you want to say twenty to but mentioning the quarter to.
Here if it is 1 or 2 mins before quarter to I'd say "it's two minutes to quarter to". But to be honest if it was five minutes to quarter to I'd just say it's twenty to. Hope that makes sense.
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Note added at 22 mins (2006-01-26 17:40:42 GMT)
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You just wouldn't say it's five minutes to quarter to
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| | Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) |
58 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2 |
| five minutes before a quarter to five
Explanation:
.
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-01-26 18:24:33 GMT)
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"Now it's five minutes before a quarter to five"
or alternatively
"In five more minutes it'll be a quarter to five"
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2 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +2 |
| (Only) five minutes (to go) till its a quarter to five
Explanation:
I dont see the problem others are having, your explanation seem perfectly traighforward to me. Two people are looking at the time, saying "only five minutes till..."
Funnily enough, my first thought context wise was "Someone's waiting to finish work" - I've always been a clock watcher :o)
Oh, if you want US English, it'd be "a quarter BEFORE five
¡Suerte!
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7 mins confidence: |
| las cinco menos cuarto (a) quarter to four
Explanation:
Judging from your description (below), this might be what you meant...
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Note added at 10 mins (2006-01-26 17:28:28 GMT)
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Es decir, cuando usted dice, "una persona...con la otra **a las cinco menos cuarto**"
Suerte, AleTolj!
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-01-26 18:28:20 GMT)
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Excuse me: As Maria Teresa points out below, that would be "a quarter to FIVE" (not "four") :-)
las cinco menos cuarto = (a) quarter to five
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-01-26 18:43:54 GMT)
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Given the latest comments/explanations, I'd say "It's five minutes till quarter to" (without mentioning five)
faltan cinco para las menos cuarto = five minutes till quarter to
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Note added at 5 hrs (2006-01-26 22:56:17 GMT)
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Hola AleTolj,
How about this: "It's/there's (only) five minutes till quarter to [the agreed upon time]" (this use of "it's" is very colloquial, but used quite a bit, especially among certain groups, here in the US)
I agree with Sarah: You wouldn't say "it's five to a quarter to," but "it's five minutes till," YES, e.g., "it's/there's only 10 minutes till the movie starts. Let's get going."
GRAMMAR: There is vs. There are
In the US, there are many instances in which the rules of (prescriptive) grammar require the use of "there are," but people (choose to) use "there is"; this is one of those instances, e.g., "There's only five minutes till lunch. Can we leave?" (asks the low achieving student, who's already closed his book). :-)
| | Note from asker to answererThank you all! I'll choose "It's five minutes till quarter to" because I need to mention the "quarter to".
Thank you all again for your help. |
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The translation workplace 
