This Sunday, 25 October 2026, the clocks in Spain go back one hour. It is the last change on Spain’s current official calendar, so lots of people are asking the same question: is this the last time Spain changes the clocks? Here is the story in easy Spanish, with an English translation, the words you need and a short quiz at the end.
La noticia en español fácil
Read the story out loud first. Every sentence uses Spanish you meet in A1 and A2: the time, days of the week and ir a + infinitive for plans.
Este domingo, 25 de octubre, cambia la hora en España. A las tres de la madrugada, los relojes vuelven a las dos. Es el cambio al horario de invierno.
La noche del sábado al domingo tiene una hora más. Muchas personas van a dormir una hora más. Por la mañana va a haber más luz, pero por la tarde va a ser de noche más pronto.
En la península y en las islas Baleares, el cambio es a las tres. En las islas Canarias es una hora antes: a las dos, los relojes vuelven a la una.
Los teléfonos móviles y los ordenadores cambian la hora solos. Pero el reloj de la cocina, el del coche o el del horno no cambian solos: hay que cambiarlos a mano.
Este cambio es especial. Es la última fecha del calendario oficial que España publicó en 2022. Por eso, mucha gente pregunta: «¿Es el último cambio de hora?». La respuesta, por ahora, es no. No hay ninguna decisión para eliminarlo.
El Gobierno español quiere terminar con el cambio de hora y lo ha propuesto en la Unión Europea, pero todavía no hay un acuerdo. Además, la Comisión Europea ya tiene un calendario con las fechas de los cambios hasta 2031. Así que en marzo los relojes van a cambiar otra vez.
«Este fin de semana dormimos una hora más.»
The story in English
This Sunday, 25 October, the time changes in Spain. At three in the morning, clocks go back to two. It is the switch to winter time.
The night from Saturday to Sunday has one extra hour. Many people will sleep an hour longer. There will be more light in the morning, but in the afternoon it will get dark earlier.
On the mainland and in the Balearic Islands, the change happens at three. In the Canary Islands it is an hour earlier: at two, clocks go back to one.
Mobile phones and computers change the time by themselves. But the kitchen clock, the car clock or the oven clock don’t: you have to change them by hand.
This change is special. It is the last date on the official calendar that Spain published in 2022. So many people are asking: “Is this the last time change?” For now, the answer is no. There is no decision to get rid of it.
The Spanish government wants to end the time changes and has proposed this in the European Union, but there is no agreement yet. The European Commission has also already published the dates of the changes up to 2031. So in March the clocks will change again.
Words to talk about the time change
Tap the speaker to hear each one in Castilian Spanish.
El cambio de hora
A1–A2- el cambio de hora[ehl KAHM-byoh deh OH-rah] the clock change
- el horario de invierno[ehl oh-RAH-ryoh deh een-BYEHR-noh] winter time
- el horario de verano[ehl oh-RAH-ryoh deh beh-RAH-noh] summer time
- atrasar el reloj[ah-trah-SAHR ehl reh-LOH] to put the clock back
- adelantar el reloj[ah-deh-lahn-TAHR ehl reh-LOH] to put the clock forward
- la madrugada[lah mah-droo-GAH-dah] the early hours (after midnight)
- una hora más[OO-nah OH-rah mahs] one more hour
- a mano[ah MAH-noh] by hand
Grammar spot: telling the time and talking about plans
Two pieces of A1 Spanish do all the work in this story. The first is telling the time: Spanish uses la or las because it means la hora. So you say «a la una» (at one) but «a las dos» and «a las tres». If you need a refresher, watch Lesson A1-33: Telling Time.
The second is ir a + infinitive, the easiest way to talk about the future: «van a dormir» (they are going to sleep), «va a ser de noche» (it is going to be dark), «los relojes van a cambiar» (the clocks are going to change). It is covered in Lesson A1-43: Plans with Ir a + Infinitive.
Look out, too, for «hay que» + infinitive, which means “you have to” or “it is necessary to”: «hay que cambiarlos a mano». It is impersonal, so it never changes form.
Good to know: Spain’s unusual time zone
Look at a map and most of Spain sits level with the United Kingdom, yet it uses the same time as Germany and Italy. Spain moved its clocks forward in 1940 and has stayed on Central European Time ever since. That is one reason Spanish evenings feel so long and dinner is late. Most countries in Latin America, by contrast, do not change their clocks at all: Mexico, for example, ended its summer time in 2022 in most of the country.
Quick facts
- When: the night of Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October 2026.
- Mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands: 3:00 becomes 2:00.
- Canary Islands: 2:00 becomes 1:00.
- Summer time starts again on the last Sunday of March.
- Is it the last change? Not decided: Spain wants to end it, but the EU has not agreed.
Try it
In the story, what happens «a las tres de la madrugada»?
Answer: The clocks go back to two: «los relojes vuelven a las dos».
How do you say “at one o’clock” in Spanish?
Answer: «a la una». One is singular, so it takes la, not las.
Complete the sentence with ir a: «En marzo, los relojes ___ cambiar otra vez.»
Answer: «van a»: «En marzo, los relojes van a cambiar otra vez.»
Enjoyed this? Read why lunch in Spain is at 2 pm, which also explains how the Spanish day is shaped by that unusual time zone.
