(1) TIME AS TIEMPO

When we talk about a certain period in between events or the passing of minutes, days, weeks, etc, we translate “time” as “tiempo”:

• Se nos acabó el tiempo y no pudimos terminar el exámen. We ran out of time and we couldn’t finish the exam.
• El tiempo siempre vuela cuando te estás divirtiendo. Time always flies when you’re having fun.

(2) TIME AS HORA

When we use this term to refer to the system that measures the passage of time, we translate “time” as “hora”:

• ¿Qué hora es? What time is it?
• Es hora de irnos; vamos a llegar tarde al cine. It’s time to go; we’re going to be late for the movies.

(3) TIME AS VEZ

When we use the word “time” to refer to the instances or the frequency in which we do something, we use the equivalent “vez” :

• La primera vez que usé mi español estaba muy nervioso, pero luego fue más fácil. The first time I used my Spanish, I was really nervous, but then it got easier.
• Comemos comida china dos veces por semana. We eat Chinese food two times a week.