Time Expressions

Spanish time expressions fall into three main buckets. The first bucket is for specific points in time. These tell you exactly when something happens. Think of words like ayer or hoy. The second bucket is for duration. This describes how long an action lasts. You will use words like durante or por. The third bucket is for frequency. These tell people how often you do things. Are you a siempre person or a nunca person? Most of these expressions sit at the start or end of a sentence. They provide context for the verb you are using. You do not need complex formulas here. You just need the right word for the right moment. It is like choosing the right shoes for an outfit. Once you know the categories, everything clicks into place. You will start seeing these patterns everywhere you go.

1. 1Using these expressions usually follows a few simple steps. Here is how you build your time-stamped sentences:
2. 2Pick your main action first. For example, estudio español (I study Spanish).
3. 3Decide when this action happens. Let us use mañana (tomorrow).
4. 4Place the time expression at the end for a natural flow. Estudio español mañana.
5. 5Alternatively, put it at the start for emphasis. Mañana estudio español.
6. 6For duration, use hace plus a time period. Hace dos años means "two years ago."
7. 7For ongoing actions, use desde hace. Estudio desde hace un mes (I have been studying for a month).
8. 8Remember that most times of day use por. Use por la mañana for "in the morning."
9. 9Specific clock times always use a las. Quedamos a las ocho (We meet at eight).

You will use these expressions constantly in real life. Imagine you are ordering food at a busy cafe. You might ask if the food will be ready pronto (soon). In a job interview, you will describe your past experience. You will say you worked somewhere hace tres años. When hanging out with friends, you need to set a time. You will suggest meeting esta tarde (this afternoon). If you are traveling, you need to know when the bus leaves. You will look for the salida (departure) time. Even on dating apps, you will use these. You might say you are free el fin de semana (this weekend). These words make you sound like a real person, not a robot. They add flavor and precision to your speech. Without them, you are just floating in a timeless void. Nobody wants that.

Do not overcomplicate things when the context is already clear. If you are already talking about today, you do not need to say hoy in every sentence. It sounds repetitive and a bit robotic. Also, be careful with literal translations from English. In English, we say "on Monday." In Spanish, we do not use en. We use the article el. So, el lunes is correct, not en lunes. Do not use mañana if you are talking about the very distant future. Use something like en el futuro instead. Also, avoid using clock times for general periods. Do not say a las tres if you just mean "in the afternoon." Use por la tarde for a more relaxed, natural feel. Spanish time is often flexible. If you are too precise, you might sound a bit stiff. Relax and use the general markers when possible.

Many people confuse mañana the noun and mañana the adverb. La mañana is the morning. Mañana is tomorrow. Yes, even native speakers can be vague with this! Another big one is por la mañana versus en la mañana. In Spain, por is the king. In parts of Latin America, you might hear en. Stick to por to be safe and sound more traditional. People often mix up hace and desde hace. Use hace for a finished point in the past. Use desde hace for something you are still doing. It is the difference between "I went" and "I have been going." Also, watch out for tarde. It means "late" and also "afternoon." If you say llego tarde, you are late. If you say por la tarde, it is just the time of day. Do not let the double meaning trip you up. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green means go, red means stop and think!

Let us look at luego versus después. Both can mean "after" or "later." However, luego is often more immediate. Think of "See you later" as hasta luego. Después is better for a sequence of events. First this, después that. Another tricky pair is ayer and anoche. Ayer is the whole day yesterday. Anoche is specifically last night. Do not say ayer noche; it sounds clunky. Use anoche to sound like a pro. Then there is todavía and ya. Todavía means "still." Ya means "already." They are opposites in many ways. If you are todavía eating, you are not ya finished. Understanding these contrasts helps you paint a clearer picture. It is the difference between a blurry photo and a 4K video. Your listeners will thank you for the clarity.