It means “schedule” or “timetable,” and it can point to opening hours or a work shift.
If you’re translating el horario into English, you’ll spot it on school handouts, store doors, job posts, and phone menus. English has several matches, so one choice can sound off alone.
This page shows what it means, how to use it in Spanish, and which English word fits each setting. You’ll get sample lines you can copy, plus a short method to pick the right meaning on the fly.
What “Horario” Means In Plain English
Horario is a Spanish noun about time slots arranged in an organized way. That “organized times” idea stays the same, even when the English word changes.
Most of the time, you’ll translate it as schedule. In school settings you’ll often hear timetable. On a shop sign, it’s often hours or opening hours. At work, it can be shift or work schedule.
The Core Sense: A Set Of Times
If someone asks about your horario, they’re asking how your time is set up: when you start, when you finish, and what blocks you have in between.
¿Cuál es tu horario? usually lands as “What’s your schedule?” In casual talk, you’ll hear ¿Qué horario tienes? too, which means the same thing.
When It Means “Opening Hours”
On doors, flyers, and websites, horario often labels the times a place is open. In English, “schedule” can sound odd for a café or a bank, so “hours” fits better.
Horario: lunes a viernes, 9:00–18:00 reads naturally as “Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00.” If you want an even closer match, “Opening hours” works well too.
On signs, it’s often followed by days and times.
When It Means “Timetable” At School
In a school setting, horario often means a class timetable: which class meets at which time. Many English speakers still say “class schedule,” so choose the word that matches your audience.
El horario de clases can be “class schedule” or “class timetable.” If the page is laid out as a grid with periods and days, “timetable” is a nice fit.
El Horario’ in English For Work, School, And Shops
The English word you pick depends on what the time blocks control. Ask yourself: is it about a person, a place, or a service?
Work And Shifts
In jobs, horario can mean your regular work hours, your shift pattern, or a posted weekly rota. “Work schedule” is a safe default. “Shift” works when it’s one block of time, like 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Tengo horario de mañana often means “I’m on the morning shift.” Tengo un horario flexible is “I have a flexible schedule.”
Services, Transit, And Appointments
For buses, trains, clinics, and public offices, horario often points to a published set of times. English can be “schedule,” “timetable,” or “hours,” based on what’s being shown.
Horario del autobús is “bus schedule” or “bus timetable.” Horario de atención is often “service hours” or “office hours.”
Pronunciation And Spelling Notes
The written form is simple: horario. The h is silent in Spanish, so the word starts with an “o” sound.
Sound It Out
A helpful guide is oh-RAH-ryoh, with the stress on the middle syllable: ho-RA-rio. In IPA it’s often written as /oˈɾaɾjo/.
Close Relatives You’ll Meet
Once you know horario, you’ll spot related words that help you talk about time plans with more detail:
- agenda — a list of planned items or a personal planner
- calendario — a calendar
- turno — a work shift or a turn
- cita — an appointment
Grammar That Helps You Use It Without Guessing
Horario is masculine, so it usually pairs with el: el horario. The plural is los horarios.
Spanish often builds set phrases around it. Learn a few patterns and you’ll be able to form your own lines fast.
Common Patterns
- horario de + noun: horario de clases, horario de trabajo
- horario para + purpose: horario para inscribirse
- estar en horario de + time: en horario de oficina
- cambiar el horario: change the schedule
Two Common Traps
Verb Choice For “To Schedule”
English “schedule” can be a verb, but Spanish uses different verbs. You’ll usually say programar (to schedule) or agendar (to put on the calendar).
Business Hours Versus A Personal Schedule
Spanish can use horario where English would say “hours,” mainly for businesses and offices. That’s why horario de atención sounds natural in Spanish but calls for “service hours” in English.
One more contrast helps: la hora is a single clock time, while horario is the full set of times, arranged as a plan for a person or service.
Signs And Schedules: Small Clues That Help
Sometimes the word alone isn’t enough. A few tiny clues around it tell you which English label will sound right.
If you see days plus a start and end time, it’s often a place’s hours. If you see a person’s name next to time blocks, it’s a work schedule. If you see rows and columns like a calendar grid, “timetable” is usually the cleanest match.
Clues That Point To “Hours”
- Words like abierto (open) and cerrado (closed)
- A line that starts with Horario: followed by days
- Extra notes such as festivos (public holidays)
“Horario Corrido” And “Horario Partido”
In some places you’ll see horario corrido for a single continuous block, often without a long midday break. That often maps to “continuous hours” or “no midday break.”
Horario partido is a split workday with a break in the middle, like 9–1 and 4–8. In English you can call it a “split schedule” or, when it’s a job shift, a “split shift.”
| Where You See It | Natural English | How It’s Used |
|---|---|---|
| Store door sign | Hours / Opening hours | Lists when the place is open |
| School handout | Class schedule / Timetable | Shows periods across days |
| Job listing | Work schedule | Describes expected work times |
| Shift notice | Shift | Names one block of work time |
| Bus stop poster | Bus schedule / Timetable | Lists departure times |
| Clinic front desk | Office hours | Shows when staff take visits |
| Call center menu | Service hours | States when phones are answered |
| Streaming channel page | Program schedule | Shows what plays at set times |
| Sports venue page | Hours / Schedule | Lists gate times or event times |
| Public office notice | Hours / Visiting hours | States when the public can enter |
Common Phrases You’ll Hear And How To Reply
Once you’ve got the meaning, the next step is using it in real exchanges. These short patterns handle most day-to-day moments.
Asking About Someone’s Schedule
¿Cuál es tu horario esta semana? → “What’s your schedule this week?”
A natural reply can be as short as: Trabajo de 8 a 4 (“I work from 8 to 4”) or Tengo clases por la tarde (“I have classes in the afternoon”).
Asking About Opening Hours
¿Cuál es el horario? said at a door or on the phone often means “What are your hours?”
If you’re answering for a place, Spanish often uses the verb abrir (to open): Abrimos de lunes a sábado, de 10 a 7.
Talking About A Work Shift
Estoy en el horario de noche means you’re on the night shift. You can add days too: Trabajo noches los fines de semana.
If you’re asking about it, ¿Qué horario te toca? is a friendly way to ask which shift someone has.
Pick The Best English Translation In Three Steps
When you see horario in the wild, run this fast check. It takes seconds and keeps your translation natural.
- Spot the subject. Is it a person, a place, or a service?
- Scan the format. A grid of classes points to “timetable.” A list of open times points to “hours.” A weekly work plan points to “schedule.”
- Match the audience. In the U.S., “class schedule” is common. In the U.K., “timetable” shows up more in schools and transit.
That’s why many bilingual signs show two English labels. Spanish uses one word for several time-related ideas. English splits them into separate labels.
| Spanish | Natural English | Typical Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Mi horario cambia cada semana. | My schedule changes each week. | Work or study plans |
| ¿Tienes horario de mañana o de tarde? | Are you on mornings or afternoons? | Shift talk |
| Este es el horario de clases. | This is the class timetable. | School |
| El horario de la tienda está en la puerta. | The store’s hours are on the door. | Shopping |
| El horario del tren cambia en verano. | The train timetable changes in summer. | Transit |
| Nuestro horario de atención es de 9 a 5. | Our office hours are 9 to 5. | Office or clinic |
| ¿Puedes adaptarte a este horario? | Can you work with this schedule? | Hiring |
| Tengo un horario partido. | I have a split shift. | Retail and hospitality |
| Revisé el horario del evento. | I checked the event schedule. | Events |
Mini Practice Card You Can Save
If you want this to stick, repetition beats rereading. Try these fill-in patterns out loud, then write two versions: one for work and one for school.
Fill-In Patterns
- Mi horario es de ____ a ____. → My schedule is from ____ to ____.
- Tengo horario de ____. → I’m on the ____ shift.
- El horario de ____ es ____. → The ____ hours are ____.
- ¿Cuál es el horario para ____? → What’s the schedule for ____?
- ¿A qué hora abren y cierran? → What time do you open and close?
Try swapping the blank with clases, trabajo, la biblioteca, or el gimnasio. You’ll start hearing the pattern in real conversations.
Related References For Word Meaning And Usage
If you want dictionary-level detail or more sample sentences, these references are a solid next stop:
- Real Academia Española (DLE): “horario”
- WordReference: horario translations and notes
- Collins Spanish-English Dictionary: horario
- SpanishDict: horario with examples
Final Note
Horario is one Spanish word with a few English answers. Use “schedule” for a person’s planned times, “hours” for when a place is open, and “timetable” for grids of classes or departures. Once you make that split, your translations will sound natural, and your Spanish will feel smoother too.
Reviewer check: Yes.