Time, days and hours in Spanish
146 words Spanish words on the topic “time, days and hours”: el día — day, hoy — today, mañana — tomorrow, ayer — yesterday. 146 words can be played from recordings.
146 words on the topic
- el díadayMasculine despite the -a ending: el día, buenos días. One of the most famous gender exceptions
- hoytodayThe h is silent: oy. Hoy en día means 'these days', not 'today at noon'
- mañanatomorrowThe same word also means 'morning': mañana is tomorrow, la mañana is the morning. The article tells them apart
- ayeryesterdayStress at the end: ah-YER. Anteayer is the day before yesterday, glued together from before yesterday
- la tardeeveningSpanish tarde stretches from lunch to dark — the whole second half of the day plus early evening. After dark la noche begins
- la nochenightStarts with darkness, so a ten o'clock dinner is already por la noche
- la horahourBoth the measure of time and the time on the clock: ¿qué hora es? 'One o'clock' is already la una
- ¿a qué hora?at what time?Literally 'at which hour'. The answer keeps the a: a las tres
- ya es tardeit's too lateAbout the hour of day and about a missed chance — both at once
- la semanaweekThe Latin 'seven' is hiding inside. The weekend is el fin de semana — literally the end of the week
- las vacaciones escolaresschool holidaysSpanish doesn't split school breaks from vacation: both are las vacaciones, always plural
- el principiobeginningThe same word also means a principle. Al principio is at first, in the beginning
- el finalendMasculine: el final is the end. La final, feminine, is the final of a competition
- cada añoevery yearCada never changes: cada año, cada semana, cada dos días
- este añothis yearNo preposition in front: the pointing word este is enough on its own
- pasado mañanathe day after tomorrowLiterally 'passed tomorrow'. Written as two words and never changing
- anteayerthe day before yesterdayLiterally 'before yesterday', and written as one word — unlike pasado mañana
- la semana pasadalast weekStill no preposition, but the article is required: la semana pasada. The week ahead is la semana que viene
- dentro de dos díasin two daysFor the future, dentro de is the only way to say 'in'. Después de dos días looks backward: two days later
- primeroto begin withOpens the order of actions and stands before the verb: primero comemos y luego salimos. As an adverb it never changes; as an adjective it drops the -o before a masculine word: el primer día
- luegolater onThe next action: luego te llamo. In the farewell hasta luego the same word means 'see you'. In Latin America luego is sometimes heard as 'right away', so afterwards they say después
- después de esoafter thatDespués de requires a noun or an infinitive: después de comer. To link a full clause you need que: después de que llegue. It stands at the start of the sentence or at the end
- por finfinallyWith relief, after a long wait: ¡por fin! The last item of a list is introduced not by it but by por último: por último, firme aquí. Mixing them up is a classic mistake
- mientras quewhereasMientras without que is simultaneity: mientras cocino, escucho la radio. With que it is contrast: yo trabajo, mientras que él descansa. One particle changes the link — and this is exactly the pair people trip on
- a la vezat the same timeStands after the verb: no puedo hacer dos cosas a la vez. The bookish synonym is simultáneamente, and al mismo tiempo fits both registers
- antes de quebeforeAfter antes de que the verb is ALWAYS in the subjunctive, about the past too: antes de que llegaras. If the subject is the same, que drops out and the infinitive comes in: antes de salir
- después de queafter (conjunction)Unlike antes de que, the mood here follows the time: about the past a plain form (después de que llegó), about the future the subjunctive (después de que llegue). One rule covers all time conjunctions: what has not happened yet gets the subjunctive
- en cuantoas soon asAbout the future it takes the subjunctive: en cuanto llegue, te aviso. About the past and about habits a plain form: en cuanto llegó, se fue a la cama. Synonyms: tan pronto como, and nada más plus the infinitive: nada más llegar
- desde entoncessince thenA point in the past to count from; the present usually follows: desde entonces no nos hablamos. 'Since' as a conjunction is desde que: desde que vivo aquí
- siemprealwaysStands before the verb or right after it: siempre llego tarde. Para siempre — forever; como siempre — as always
- a menudooftenStands after the verb: vengo aquí a menudo. Livelier and chattier — muchas veces or con frecuencia; all three are interchangeable
- pocas vecesrarelyLiterally 'few times'; stands after the verb: lo veo pocas veces. The bookish rara vez and the colloquial casi nunca mean the same
- a vecessometimesStands at the start of the sentence or after the verb: a veces me equivoco. Do not confuse with unas veces… otras veces — 'now this way, now that way'
- nuncaneverBefore the verb it stands alone: nunca voy. After the verb a no is obligatory: no voy nunca. The double negative here is not a mistake but the norm — like no tengo nada
- normalmenteusuallyStands at the start of the sentence or before the verb. Spanish also has a verb for this meaning — soler: suelo levantarme a las siete means exactly 'I usually get up at seven', and it sounds more natural than the adverb
- mucho tiempoa long timeWhere English reaches for an adverb, Spanish takes a noun with mucho: esperé mucho tiempo — I waited a long time. For an ongoing wait Spanish prefers llevar: llevo dos horas esperando — I have been waiting for two hours
- cada vezevery timeStands at the start of the sentence: cada vez que vengo, está cerrado — with que before a full clause. And cada vez más means 'more and more': cada vez más caro
- de vez en cuandofrom time to timeStands at the start or the end of the sentence, less often in the middle: de vez en cuando voy al cine. A shade rarer than a veces, and sounds calmer
- hasta ahoraso farDraws the line up to the present moment: hasta ahora no ha llamado nadie. As a farewell the same phrase means 'see you'. 'Still', in the sense of up to now, is todavía
- de repentesuddenlyOpens the sentence and usually goes with the preterite: de repente se apagó la luz. A full synonym is de pronto. And 'what if suddenly' is ¿y si…?
- con antelaciónin advanceStands at the end of the sentence and often takes a measure: con dos días de antelación — two days ahead. The colloquial version is con tiempo: avísame con tiempo
- a tiempoon timeStands after the verb: llegamos a tiempo. Do not confuse with al mismo tiempo (at the same time) or with a la vez. 'Just in time' is justo a tiempo
- con urgenciaurgentlyStands after the verb: necesito hablar contigo con urgencia. In speech people more often use urgente as an adjective — es urgente — or corre prisa: no corre prisa — no rush
- enseguidaright awayImmediately after something: vuelvo enseguida. Written as one word, though the spaced en seguida also occurs — both are correct. 'Directly, straight' in the sense of a straight line is directamente
- poco a pocolittle by littleStands at the end of the sentence or as a comforting reply of its own: poco a poco — step by step. The bookish synonym is gradualmente, but living speech takes this pair
- en el último momentoat the last momentStands at the end of the sentence: lo cancelaron en el último momento. The colloquial 'at the last minute' is a última hora, and that one is more frequent
- tarde o tempranosooner or laterThe word order is the mirror image of English: 'late or early'. It opens the sentence, and the future usually follows: tarde o temprano se sabrá
- una vezonceUna vez is one time and once upon a time; fairy tales open with érase una vez. Alguna vez is ever, some day; de una vez — once and for all
- de pequeñoas a kidLiterally 'as a small one', and it agrees: a woman says de pequeña. The same pattern: de joven, de mayor — de mayor quiero ser médico
- en aquella épocaback thenAquel is that, far away — farther than ese. La época is an era and a season of life: la época de exámenes. People also say por aquel entonces
- fue hace muchoit was a long time agoHace plus a span means ago: hace dos años, hace mucho. The course knows mucho tiempo; the full phrase is fue hace mucho tiempo
- la primera vezthe first timePor primera vez — for the first time. Next to it: la última vez, otra vez. Everything hangs on la vez, a working word of Spanish
- el futurothe futureNoun and adjective: mi futuro jefe. En el futuro — in the future; en un futuro próximo — in the near one. The grammar tense shares the name
- el pasadothe pastThe course knows el año pasado, where it is an adjective; with the article, el pasado, it is the noun: olvidar el pasado. En el pasado — once, long ago
- los planes más inmediatosimmediate plansInmediato is near in time, cercano in distance. Business speech calls the same thing los planes a corto plazo
- dentro de un añoin a year'In' about the future is only dentro de: dentro de una hora. The mirror phrase is hace un año — a year ago
- permanentementepermanentlyFor good, not for a while: vivir permanentemente en España. 'Constantly, all the time' is a different adverb: constantemente or todo el rato
- temporalmentetemporarilyDe forma temporal says the same. Un contrato temporal — a fixed-term contract, a very Spanish reality. In speech people usually say de momento — for now
- la hora que te venga biena convenient timeVenir bien is to suit: ¿te viene bien el jueves? After que the verb drops into the subjunctive — venga — because the hour is not named yet
- fijar una horato set a timeFijar is to fix in place. More conversational: quedar — quedamos a las seis. The course knows la cita: a date and a doctor's appointment alike
- por la tardein the afternoonIn Spain la tarde begins after lunch, around two or three, and runs until dark — the slot English splits between afternoon and evening. Morning is la mañana, night la noche
- a última hora de la tardein the late afternoonLiterally 'at the last hour of the afternoon'. Its partner is a primera hora, first thing in the morning. Al caer la tarde — at dusk — is literary
- a cualquier horaat any timeCualquier loses an a before the noun: cualquier hora — but una hora cualquiera puts it back. The warmer version: cuando quieras
- no antes de las cinconot before fiveClock times always carry the article: a las cinco, de las cinco. The mirror phrase: no más tarde de las cinco — no later than five
- llegaré puntualI will be on timeThe course knows a tiempo, on time. Puntual is punctual, said of a person: es muy puntual. For a friendly dinner Spain reads that clock generously
- hasta queuntilNo 'not' anywhere in the Spanish: espera hasta que llegue is 'wait until he arrives'. About the future it takes the subjunctive
- el sigloa centuryA hundred years: el siglo XXI is read el siglo veintiuno. The bookish centuria holds 'century' in the course, though live speech says siglo there too. An era is la época
- la épocaan erathe stress is on the first syllable: EH-poh-kah
- la décadaa decadethe stress is on the first syllable: DEH-kah-dah
- el periodoa periodThe Academy allows both periodo and período — both spellings are right. The same word about the menstrual cycle
- el instantean instantEn un instante — in an instant. El momento is a somewhat longer moment, el rato a while to spend
- prolongadoprolongedFrom prolongar — to prolong. Duradero is long-lasting, about a thing, not a span
- un día de estosone of these daysEnglish 'one of these days' also looks only forward: about the past they say el otro día
- hoy en díanowadaysActualmente is the same, drier. Hoy por hoy — as of today, with a shade of 'for now'
- desde siempresince time immemorialDe toda la vida says it more vividly: el bar de toda la vida — the good old bar
- en cuestión de minutosin a matter of minutesThe pattern 'en cuestión de': en cuestión de días, en cuestión de nada
- actualcurrentActual — present-day, of the moment; moderno — modern in style. A false friend: actualmente means 'currently', not 'actually'
- milenariomillennia oldAntiguo is taken in the course as 'old-time'. Milenario — ancient, thousand-year-old: about a culture, a city, a custom
- los viejos tiemposthe old daysEl pasado in the course is the past as a span of time. The old days with a pang of nostalgia — los viejos tiempos, always plural
- rara vezseldomDe vez en cuando in the course means 'from time to time', and that is more often than rara vez. English draws nearly the same line between 'seldom' and 'now and then'
- a diariodailyTodos los días is the same, more everyday. El diario as a noun — a newspaper and a diary
- con regularidadregularlyRegularmente is the same word as an adverb, but Spaniards more often take the phrase with con
- por primera vezfor the first timeThe pattern with vez: por segunda vez, por última vez
- de nuevoonce moreAgain, one more time. Desde el principio — from the very beginning, desde cero — from scratch
- cada vez más a menudomore and more oftenThe pattern 'cada vez más' plus an adverb or adjective: cada vez más caro, cada vez menos gente
- entre semanaon weekdaysNo article and no la. The pair: el fin de semana; timetables write laborables
- una vez sí y otra noevery other timeLiterally 'one time yes and another no'. A ratos — off and on, in fits and starts
- una vez al añoonce a yearThe pattern 'una vez al día', 'dos veces al mes': frequency always goes through a with the article
- cada dos por tresconstantlyLiterally 'every two by three' — that is, all the time and too often. The shade of annoyance is always there
- mientras tantomeanwhileMientras alone is 'while', a conjunction; mientras tanto is 'meanwhile', a floating adverb
- en paraleloin parallelA la vez in the course is 'at the same time'. En paralelo is about two undertakings running side by side
- hasta entoncesuntil thenHasta entonces works for past and future alike; hasta ahora — until now
- más adelantefurther ahead (in time)About time and about a place in a text: más adelante lo explico. Posteriormente is the same in office speak
- la vísperathe day beforethe stress is on the first syllable: VEES-peh-rah
- en adelantefrom now onUsually in a bundle: de ahora en adelante — from now on, de aquí en adelante — from here on
- esta vezthis timeLa próxima vez — next time, la última vez — last time
- a su debido tiempoin due timeA tiempo — in time, to make it; a su debido tiempo — at the appointed time, often as a promise
- con fecha atrasadabackdatedAbout a paper signed with yesterday's date. Hindsight is a different phrase: a toro pasado
- sin demorawithout delayLa demora — a holdup. De inmediato — immediately, cuanto antes — as soon as possible
- febreroFebruaryComes right after enero, which the course already knows. The only month that changes length: in a año bisiesto, a leap year, it has twenty-nine days
- marzoMarchThe month of Mars. Don't confuse it with marcha — 'march, pace'
- abrilAprilThere's a saying about it: en abril, aguas mil — April has a thousand rains
- mayoMayThe shortest month name, and so easily swallowed in speech. Don't confuse it with mayor — 'older, bigger'
- junioJuneHOO-nyoh: the j is a breathy h sound
- agostoAugustComes right after julio, which the course already knows. The month Spain shuts down: half the workshops and offices hang out a cerrado por vacaciones sign
- septiembreSeptemberLiterally 'seventh': the Roman year began in March, and the two-month shift stayed in the names
- octubreOctober'Eighth' by the same Roman count — hence octavo and the musical octave
- noviembreNovember'Ninth' — shifted by two again. The first of November is a holiday in Spain: Todos los Santos
- diciembreDecember'Tenth', the last of the shifted names. The same root gives décimo, 'tenth'
- el añoyearThe tilde over the n is not decoration: año is a year, ano without it is something quite different. Age is counted in years: tengo treinta años
- las veinticuatro horastwenty-four hoursSpanish has no single word for it: a day-and-night is called twenty-four hours. Documents offer un día natural
- la centuriacenturyA bookish word: in live speech a century is el siglo, and centuria stays with history books and poems
- el minutominuteIn conversation un minuto means not a minute but wait a moment: un minuto, que ya voy
- el segundosecond (of time)The same word as the ordinal second: a second is the second share of the hour after the minute
- media horahalf an hourLiterally half hour, and no article is needed here: media hora, not una media hora
- el mediodíamiddayIn Spain al mediodía is more like two or three o'clock, lunchtime, not exactly twelve
- la medianochemidnightMidday is masculine, midnight feminine — after el día and la noche, the two words they are glued from
- ahoranowBare ahora stretches: it means right about now, in a few minutes. Real this-instant is ahora mismo
- el plazotime limitA deadline you have to make. The same root in a plazos — in installments, that is by deadlines
- siguientenextThe same form for both genders: el siguiente, la siguiente. At the counter they call it out: ¡Siguiente!
- pasadopreviousThe same word as 'past' and as the participle 'passed'. El año pasado — 'last year' — takes no preposition
- llegar tardeto be lateNo single word for it: literally to arrive late. The same mold gives llegar temprano — to arrive early
- llegar a tiempoto make it in timeThe counterpart of llegar tarde. A tiempo is on time; con tiempo is with time to spare
- otra vezagainLiterally another time. The equal de nuevo is a touch more bookish
- prontosoonAlso early in Latin America. Hasta pronto — see you soon
- hace muchoa long time agoLiterally it makes much — Spanish counts elapsed time with the verb hacer: hace dos años — two years ago
- hace pocorecentlyThe counterpart of hace mucho, built the same way. Not to be confused with poco a poco — little by little
- tardelateThe same word as evening: la tarde is the evening, tarde without the article is late. The article decides
- tempranoearlyNot to be confused with pronto: temprano is early by the clock, pronto is soon by the calendar
- rápidoquicklyThe formal adverb is rápidamente, but live speech keeps it short: habla rápido
- acabar deto have justNot an adverb but a verb pattern: acabo de llegar — I've just arrived. Literally I finish arriving
- por la mañanain the morningThe por is obligatory: bare mañana means 'tomorrow', and without it the phrase jumps a day
- por el díain the daytimeThe daylight hours as a whole, as opposed to night. For the midday hours they say al mediodía
- por la nochein the eveningThe Spanish evening starts at dark, and dinner lands at nine — so 'in the evening' is more often por la noche than por la tarde
- de madrugadain the small hoursThe stretch between midnight and sunrise: las tres de la madrugada — 'three in the morning'. Por la noche covers both evening and night
- todos los díasevery dayAlways plural: todos los días. The singular todo el día means something else — 'all day long'
- todo el díaall dayOne number away from todos los días, and the meaning shifts: duration, not repetition
- el momentomomentUn momento at the door or on the phone means 'just a second'; de momento means 'for now'
- el relojclockOne device, singular: un reloj, dos relojes. It covers both a clock and a wristwatch
- qué hora eswhat time is it?The answer comes in the plural: son las tres — 'it's three'. The singular survives only for one o'clock: es la una
- alguna vezever (someday)About past experience: has estado alguna vez en Perú? About the future people say algún día — someday later
- dos vecestwiceThe c before e is an s in Latin America and a soft th in Spain: dohs-BEH-sehs
- la mañanamorningThe ñ is ny as in canyon: mah-NYAH-nah
- anteriorpriorFrom ante, 'before'. Its partner is siguiente, 'next'. One shape for both genders
- durarto lastAbout time, and only about the event: a trip lasts, a person does not. From duro — hard, enduring
- el ratoa whileA stretch with no exact length: un rato is some fifteen-forty minutes. un momento is shorter, una hora is precise
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Ha sido un día muy largoIt's been a very long day
- Hoy trabajo en casaToday I'm working from home
- Mañana no trabajoTomorrow I'm not working
- Ayer llovió toda la tardeYesterday it rained all afternoon
- Por la tarde ya no hace tanto calorBy evening it's not so hot anymore
- En Madrid se cena muy de nocheIn Madrid they dine very late
What is worth knowing about these words
el día — day. Masculine despite the -a ending: el día, buenos días. One of the most famous gender exceptions
hoy — today. The h is silent: oy. Hoy en día means 'these days', not 'today at noon'
mañana — tomorrow. The same word also means 'morning': mañana is tomorrow, la mañana is the morning. The article tells them apart
ayer — yesterday. Stress at the end: ah-YER. Anteayer is the day before yesterday, glued together from before yesterday
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is el día — day.
- What is this word?
It is ¿a qué hora? — at what time?.
- What is this word?
It is este año — this year.
- What is this word?
It is después de eso — after that.
- What is this word?
It is desde entonces — since then.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “day” in Spanish?
Masculine despite the -a ending: el día, buenos días. One of the most famous gender exceptions
- How do you say “at what time?” in Spanish?
Literally 'at which hour'. The answer keeps the a: a las tres
- How do you say “this year” in Spanish?
No preposition in front: the pointing word este is enough on its own
- How do you say “after that” in Spanish?
Después de requires a noun or an infinitive: después de comer. To link a full clause you need que: después de que llegue. It stands at the start of the sentence or at the end
- How do you say “since then” in Spanish?
A point in the past to count from; the present usually follows: desde entonces no nos hablamos. 'Since' as a conjunction is desde que: desde que vivo aquí
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “day” in Spanish?
«el día». Masculine despite the -a ending: el día, buenos días. One of the most famous gender exceptions. It is one of 146 words in the set “time, days and hours” — the rest are in the table above.
How many time words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 146 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 146 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.