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What is the natural way to translate 'good time to talk', as in a phone conversation that you would like to have with a friend later?

For example, how would you say '5pm is a good time to talk for me' in Spanish? To translate it literally sounds a little awkward: 'Las 5 es un buen momento para hablar por mi'.

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    BTW asking for translations without showing your effort or explaining the part you don't understand is off-topic here. – DGaleano Jul 21 '17 at 20:11
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    The OP is proposing a translation of their own: Las 5 es un buen momento para hablar por mi and it sounds akward to them, thus, their are asking for other suggestions. – Diego Jul 22 '17 at 2:11
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'5pm is a good time to talk for me'

Here's what my ear recommends for Mexico -- I don't know about other places. It would be more polite to pose a question. Culturally, others will understand that even though you are expressing yourself in a question, you are still making your preference understood. I have heard people from various parts of the Caribbean and Africa use this approach when talking in English.

This is similar to something we do in English -- notice that "It would be more polite" is softer than "It is more polite."

Thus, a couple of simple versions would be

¿Podemos hablar a las 5?

¿Podríamos vernos a las 5?

¿Te puedo llamar como a las 5? (Can I call you at around 5?)

If you know the person well:

¿Me llamas a las 5?

Te llamo a las 5, ¿está bien?

¿Vas a estar disponible a las 5?

Here are two verbs that would be a bit more precise:

quedar

I'm not finding the right definition in Linguée or DRAE, unfortunately. You would use this verb to say that a certain shirt fits you well (in terms of size) or that it combines well (in terms of color) with a certain pair of pants or that it suits you (in terms of style). In scheduling, it would mean that a certain time would be comfortable for you.

convenir

suit (Linguée)

Thus, the following would be a bit more formal (but not to the point of being stuffy) than the earlier proposals:

¿Lo puedo llamar más tarde? ¿Le quedaría bien a las 5 de la tarde?

¿Podríamos platicar [conversar] más tarde? Le conviene [convendría] llamarme como a las cinco? (Could we talk later? Would around 5:00 be convenient?)

You can also express regret and say when you'll free up:

Disculpa, ando un poco apurado/a ahorita pero voy a estar disponible a partir de las 5. (I'm sorry, I'm in a bit of a hurry just now but I'll be available any time from 5 on.)

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  • Thanks for this really in-depth comment! I am currently in Mexico, so I appreciate the explanation on the cultural context as well. I have noticed during my time here that asking a question implies your preference, which is not always the case in English. Would you say that it would be seen as rude to express my preference upfront, at least for a friend/friendly acquaintance? – Nate Jul 22 '17 at 22:30
  • @Nate - It might come across as a bit in-your-face, or perhaps a bit up tight. However, if you are a fairly recent arrival, people will likely take that into account and forgive what might otherwise be a social faux pas. – aparente001 Jul 23 '17 at 23:00
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The "direct" translation is actually the form used in Spanish

Las 5 es un buen momento para hablar para mi

You could also use other forms, like

Me viene mejor hablar a las 5

Prefería hablar a las 5

Te viene bien hablar ahora (when calling someone on the phone)

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    This answer is correct but it sounds too "Spaniard". @Nate if you are interested in Spanish from Spain accept this as an answer or add a regional tag to your question to get more localized answers. – DGaleano Jul 21 '17 at 20:09
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In Chile, in an informal situation, we prefer to say

Para mí las 5 es buena hora para hablar.

However (as Diego thinks) that is a direct translation that we would not use. Instead we would probably say

Me acomoda que hablemos a las 5.

A las 5 está bien que hablemos.

And in more formal situations:

Para mí, las 5 es una hora adecuada para que hablemos.

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