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 subjuntivo, 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 subjuntivo (después de que llegue). One rule covers all time conjunctions: what has not happened yet gets subjuntivo
- en cuantoas soon asAbout the future it takes subjuntivo: 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. You have already met 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 pastYou have already met 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 subjuntivo — 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. You have already met 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 timeYou have already met 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 subjuntivo
- el sigloa centuryA hundred years: el siglo XXI is read el siglo veintiuno. The bookish centuria holds 'century', 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 as 'old-time'. Milenario — ancient, thousand-year-old: about a culture, a city, a custom
- los viejos tiemposthe old daysEl pasado 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 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 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 you have already met. 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 you have already met. 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.