Spanish timetables and greetings

Timetables

Spanish times and timetables, especially for meals, are a bit different from those in other countries. This might be shocking sometimes.

Desayuno: breakfast. This is not so different although many people like having breakfast when they get to work or they like having it during a midmorning break anytime before 12.00 pm.

Almuerzo: lunch. It normally takes place between 2.00 and 3.00 pm. It normally is a strong meal.

Merienda: afternoon snack. This is a late afternoon-early evening light snack, normally offered to children.

Cena: dinner. A meal (lighter than lunch) which takes place between 9.00 and 10.00 pm.

That is why most Spanish people go to bed late, not before midnight.

These are generalizations, not all Spanish people are the same, but this timetable is what most of us roughly do.

Greetings along the day

The following video shows the different greetings in Spanish during the day but it has been adapted from an English course. What are the differences between English and Spanish in this aspect?

- "Buenos días" is actually used until midday if you want to be very precise but it can also be used until lunchtime, normally at about 2.00 pm in Spain.

- The use of "buenas noches" in Spanish is different from that in English as Spanish people use "buenas noches" meaning also "hello" when it is dark. So you can use it when you arrive at a place, while in English you would still use "good evening". It is like English when you say "goodbye" at night or when you are going to sleep in the evening.

More greetings: a song.