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Time, days and hours in Spanish

146 words in Spanish on the topic “time, days and hours”: el día — day, hoy — today, mañana — tomorrow, ayer — yesterday. 146 words can be played from recordings.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

146 words on the topic

  • 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
  • la tarde
    evening
    Spanish tarde stretches from lunch to dark — the whole second half of the day plus early evening. After dark la noche begins
  • la noche
    night
    Starts with darkness, so a ten o'clock dinner is already por la noche
  • la hora
    hour
    Both 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 tarde
    it's too late
    About the hour of day and about a missed chance — both at once
  • la semana
    week
    The Latin 'seven' is hiding inside. The weekend is el fin de semana — literally the end of the week
  • las vacaciones escolares
    school holidays
    Spanish doesn't split school breaks from vacation: both are las vacaciones, always plural
  • el principio
    beginning
    The same word also means a principle. Al principio is at first, in the beginning
  • el final
    end
    Masculine: el final is the end. La final, feminine, is the final of a competition
  • cada año
    every year
    Cada never changes: cada año, cada semana, cada dos días
  • este año
    this year
    No preposition in front: the pointing word este is enough on its own
  • pasado mañana
    the day after tomorrow
    Literally 'passed tomorrow'. Written as two words and never changing
  • anteayer
    the day before yesterday
    Literally 'before yesterday', and written as one word — unlike pasado mañana
  • la semana pasada
    last week
    Still no preposition, but the article is required: la semana pasada. The week ahead is la semana que viene
  • dentro de dos días
    in two days
    For the future, dentro de is the only way to say 'in'. Después de dos días looks backward: two days later
  • primero
    to begin with
    Opens 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
  • luego
    later on
    The 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 eso
    after that
    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
  • por fin
    finally
    With 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 que
    whereas
    Mientras 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 vez
    at the same time
    Stands 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 que
    before
    After 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 que
    after (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 cuanto
    as soon as
    About 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 entonces
    since then
    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
  • siempre
    always
    Stands before the verb or right after it: siempre llego tarde. Para siempre — forever; como siempre — as always
  • a menudo
    often
    Stands after the verb: vengo aquí a menudo. Livelier and chattier — muchas veces or con frecuencia; all three are interchangeable
  • pocas veces
    rarely
    Literally 'few times'; stands after the verb: lo veo pocas veces. The bookish rara vez and the colloquial casi nunca mean the same
  • a veces
    sometimes
    Stands 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'
  • nunca
    never
    Before 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
  • normalmente
    usually
    Stands 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 tiempo
    a long time
    Where 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 vez
    every time
    Stands 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 cuando
    from time to time
    Stands 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 ahora
    so far
    Draws 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 repente
    suddenly
    Opens 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 antelación
    in advance
    Stands 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 tiempo
    on time
    Stands 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 urgencia
    urgently
    Stands 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
  • enseguida
    right away
    Immediately 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 poco
    little by little
    Stands 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 momento
    at the last moment
    Stands 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 temprano
    sooner or later
    The 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 vez
    once
    Una 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 pequeño
    as a kid
    Literally '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 época
    back then
    Aquel 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 mucho
    it was a long time ago
    Hace plus a span means ago: hace dos años, hace mucho. Mucho tiempo means a long time; the full phrase is fue hace mucho tiempo
  • la primera vez
    the first time
    Por 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 futuro
    the future
    Noun 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 pasado
    the past
    El año pasado uses it as an adjective; with the article, el pasado, it is the noun: olvidar el pasado. En el pasado — once, long ago
  • los planes más inmediatos
    immediate plans
    Inmediato is near in time, cercano in distance. Business speech calls the same thing los planes a corto plazo
  • dentro de un año
    in a year
    'In' about the future is only dentro de: dentro de una hora. The mirror phrase is hace un año — a year ago
  • permanentemente
    permanently
    For good, not for a while: vivir permanentemente en España. 'Constantly, all the time' is a different adverb: constantemente or todo el rato
  • temporalmente
    temporarily
    De 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 bien
    a convenient time
    Venir 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 hora
    to set a time
    Fijar is to fix in place. More conversational: quedar — quedamos a las seis. La cita is a date and a doctor's appointment alike
  • por la tarde
    in the afternoon
    In 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 tarde
    in the late afternoon
    Literally '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 hora
    at any time
    Cualquier loses an a before the noun: cualquier hora — but una hora cualquiera puts it back. The warmer version: cuando quieras
  • no antes de las cinco
    not before five
    Clock 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 puntual
    I will be on time
    A tiempo means on time. Puntual is punctual, said of a person: es muy puntual. For a friendly dinner Spain reads that clock generously
  • hasta que
    until
    No 'not' anywhere in the Spanish: espera hasta que llegue is 'wait until he arrives'. About the future it takes subjuntivo
  • el siglo
    a century
    A 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 época
    an era
    the stress is on the first syllable: EH-poh-kah
  • la década
    a decade
    the stress is on the first syllable: DEH-kah-dah
  • el periodo
    a period
    The Academy allows both periodo and período — both spellings are right. The same word about the menstrual cycle
  • el instante
    an instant
    En un instante — in an instant. El momento is a somewhat longer moment, el rato a while to spend
  • prolongado
    prolonged
    From prolongar — to prolong. Duradero is long-lasting, about a thing, not a span
  • un día de estos
    one of these days
    English 'one of these days' also looks only forward: about the past they say el otro día
  • hoy en día
    nowadays
    Actualmente is the same, drier. Hoy por hoy — as of today, with a shade of 'for now'
  • desde siempre
    since time immemorial
    De toda la vida says it more vividly: el bar de toda la vida — the good old bar
  • en cuestión de minutos
    in a matter of minutes
    The pattern 'en cuestión de': en cuestión de días, en cuestión de nada
  • actual
    current
    Actual — present-day, of the moment; moderno — modern in style. A false friend: actualmente means 'currently', not 'actually'
  • milenario
    millennia old
    Antiguo is taken as 'old-time'. Milenario — ancient, thousand-year-old: about a culture, a city, a custom
  • los viejos tiempos
    the old days
    El pasado is the past as a span of time. The old days with a pang of nostalgia — los viejos tiempos, always plural
  • rara vez
    seldom
    De 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 diario
    daily
    Todos los días is the same, more everyday. El diario as a noun — a newspaper and a diary
  • con regularidad
    regularly
    Regularmente is the same word as an adverb, but Spaniards more often take the phrase with con
  • por primera vez
    for the first time
    The pattern with vez: por segunda vez, por última vez
  • de nuevo
    once more
    Again, one more time. Desde el principio — from the very beginning, desde cero — from scratch
  • cada vez más a menudo
    more and more often
    The pattern 'cada vez más' plus an adverb or adjective: cada vez más caro, cada vez menos gente
  • entre semana
    on weekdays
    No article and no la. The pair: el fin de semana; timetables write laborables
  • una vez sí y otra no
    every other time
    Literally 'one time yes and another no'. A ratos — off and on, in fits and starts
  • una vez al año
    once a year
    The pattern 'una vez al día', 'dos veces al mes': frequency always goes through a with the article
  • cada dos por tres
    constantly
    Literally 'every two by three' — that is, all the time and too often. The shade of annoyance is always there
  • mientras tanto
    meanwhile
    Mientras alone is 'while', a conjunction; mientras tanto is 'meanwhile', a floating adverb
  • en paralelo
    in parallel
    A la vez is 'at the same time'. En paralelo is about two undertakings running side by side
  • hasta entonces
    until then
    Hasta entonces works for past and future alike; hasta ahora — until now
  • más adelante
    later on
    About time and about a place in a text: más adelante lo explico. Posteriormente is the same in office speak
  • la víspera
    the day before
    the stress is on the first syllable: VEES-peh-rah
  • en adelante
    from now on
    Usually in a bundle: de ahora en adelante — from now on, de aquí en adelante — from here on
  • esta vez
    this time
    La próxima vez — next time, la última vez — last time
  • a su debido tiempo
    in due time
    A tiempo — in time, to make it; a su debido tiempo — at the appointed time, often as a promise
  • con fecha atrasada
    backdated
    About a paper signed with yesterday's date. Hindsight is a different phrase: a toro pasado
  • sin demora
    without delay
    La demora — a holdup. De inmediato — immediately, cuanto antes — as soon as possible
  • febrero
    February
    Comes right after enero. The only month that changes length: in a año bisiesto, a leap year, it has twenty-nine days
  • marzo
    March
    The month of Mars. Don't confuse it with marcha — 'march, pace'
  • abril
    April
    There's a saying about it: en abril, aguas mil — April has a thousand rains
  • mayo
    May
    The shortest month name, and so easily swallowed in speech. Don't confuse it with mayor — 'older, bigger'
  • junio
    June
    HOO-nyoh: the j is a breathy h sound
  • agosto
    August
    Comes right after julio. The month Spain shuts down: half the workshops and offices hang out a cerrado por vacaciones sign
  • septiembre
    September
    Literally 'seventh': the Roman year began in March, and the two-month shift stayed in the names
  • octubre
    October
    'Eighth' by the same Roman count — hence octavo and the musical octave
  • noviembre
    November
    'Ninth' — shifted by two again. The first of November is a holiday in Spain: Todos los Santos
  • diciembre
    December
    'Tenth', the last of the shifted names. The same root gives décimo, 'tenth'
  • el año
    year
    The 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 horas
    twenty-four hours
    Spanish has no single word for it: a day-and-night is called twenty-four hours. Documents offer un día natural
  • la centuria
    century
    A bookish word: in live speech a century is el siglo, and centuria stays with history books and poems
  • el minuto
    minute
    In conversation un minuto means not a minute but wait a moment: un minuto, que ya voy
  • el segundo
    second (of time)
    The same word as the ordinal second: a second is the second share of the hour after the minute
  • media hora
    half an hour
    Literally half hour, and no article is needed here: media hora, not una media hora
  • el mediodía
    midday
    In Spain al mediodía is more like two or three o'clock, lunchtime, not exactly twelve
  • la medianoche
    midnight
    Midday is masculine, midnight feminine — after el día and la noche, the two words they are glued from
  • ahora
    now
    Bare ahora stretches: it means right about now, in a few minutes. Real this-instant is ahora mismo
  • el plazo
    time limit
    A deadline you have to make. The same root in a plazos — in installments, that is by deadlines
  • siguiente
    next
    The same form for both genders: el siguiente, la siguiente. At the counter they call it out: ¡Siguiente!
  • pasado
    previous
    The same word as 'past' and as the participle 'passed'. El año pasado — 'last year' — takes no preposition
  • llegar tarde
    to be late
    No single word for it: literally to arrive late. The same mold gives llegar temprano — to arrive early
  • llegar a tiempo
    to make it in time
    The counterpart of llegar tarde. A tiempo is on time; con tiempo is with time to spare
  • otra vez
    again
    Literally another time. The equal de nuevo is a touch more bookish
  • pronto
    soon
    Also early in Latin America. Hasta pronto — see you soon
  • hace mucho
    a long time ago
    Literally it makes much — Spanish counts elapsed time with the verb hacer: hace dos años — two years ago
  • hace poco
    recently
    The counterpart of hace mucho, built the same way. Not to be confused with poco a poco — little by little
  • tarde
    late
    The same word as evening: la tarde is the evening, tarde without the article is late. The article decides
  • temprano
    early
    Not to be confused with pronto: temprano is early by the clock, pronto is soon by the calendar
  • rápido
    quickly
    The formal adverb is rápidamente, but live speech keeps it short: habla rápido
  • acabar de
    to have just
    Not an adverb but a verb pattern: acabo de llegar — I've just arrived. Literally I finish arriving
  • por la mañana
    in the morning
    The por is obligatory: bare mañana means 'tomorrow', and without it the phrase jumps a day
  • por el día
    in the daytime
    The daylight hours as a whole, as opposed to night. For the midday hours they say al mediodía
  • por la noche
    in the evening
    The 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 madrugada
    in the small hours
    The stretch between midnight and sunrise: las tres de la madrugada — 'three in the morning'. Por la noche covers both evening and night
  • todos los días
    every day
    Always plural: todos los días. The singular todo el día means something else — 'all day long'
  • todo el día
    all day
    One number away from todos los días, and the meaning shifts: duration, not repetition
  • el momento
    moment
    Un momento at the door or on the phone means 'just a second'; de momento means 'for now'
  • el reloj
    clock
    One device, singular: un reloj, dos relojes. It covers both a clock and a wristwatch
  • qué hora es
    what 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 vez
    ever (someday)
    About past experience: has estado alguna vez en Perú? About the future people say algún día — someday later
  • dos veces
    twice
    The c before e is an s in Latin America and a soft th in Spain: dohs-BEH-sehs
  • la mañana
    morning
    The ñ is ny as in canyon: mah-NYAH-nah
  • anterior
    prior
    From ante, 'before'. Its partner is siguiente, 'next'. One shape for both genders
  • durar
    to last
    About time, and only about the event: a trip lasts, a person does not. From duro — hard, enduring
  • el rato
    a while
    A stretch with no exact length: un rato is some fifteen-forty minutes. un momento is shorter, una hora is precise

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How it sounds in a sentence

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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

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Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

  1. How do you say “day” in Spanish?

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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.

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?

The whole set on this page is 146 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.

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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.

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