Here is a selection of useful Spanish time expressions that you’ll find yourself using again and again. There are four sections:
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Ayer Yesterday
El mes pasado Last month
El año pasado Last year
La semana pasada Last week
El/la [time unit] pasado/a Last [time unit (e.g. day, month, etc)]
To say “ago” in Spanish, use either hace or atrás with the time unit. Hace goes before the time unit; atrás comes after:
Hace un año One year ago
Hace dos semanas Two weeks ago
Un año atras One year ago
Phrases to refer to the present:
Ahora Now
Hoy Today
Spanish uses este/esta + [time unit] to say “this [time unit]”:
Esta semana This week
Este año This year
Este mes This month
Este momento This moment (i.e “right now”)
Estos días These days
Phrases to refer to the future:
Mañana Tomorrow
There are two ways to say “next” with time phrases in Spanish:
El/la [time unit] que viene Next [time unit]
El/la próxima [time unit] Next [time unit]
For example:
El mes que viene Next month
La semana que viene Next week
El año que viene Next year
El próximo mes Next month
La próxima semana Next week
Note that you wouldn’t generally say el día que viene, as mañana means “tomorrow” 🙂
Desde el miercoles Since Wednesday
Desde 2005 Since 2005
Desde entonces Since then
When desde que is used with a verb, that verb is always in the indicative (i.e, not subjunctive), simple past (referring to a specific point in the past, rather than something ongoing):
Desde que viniste Since you came
Desde que empezó Since it started
Desde que te conocí Since I met you
You can also use desde in combination with hace to mean “for”, to talk about actions that started in the past and are still going on:
Desde hace [length of time] For [length of time]
This can be used with a verb in the present simple tense:
Desde hace mucho tiempo que no te veo I haven’t seen you for a long time
Estoy aquí desde hace dos meses I’ve been here for two months
Trabaja en la tienda desde hace un año He/she has worked in the shop for a year
Hasta el miercoles Until Wednesday
Hasta enero Until January
Hasta la noche Until the night
Hasta hoy Until today
Hasta que is used with verbs, and can refer to either past or future actions (“until he arrived”; “until he arrives”). When referring to the past, hasta que is used with the normal, indicative version of the verb:
Hasta que volvió Until he arrived
However, when talking about the future with hasta que, the subjunctive is used:
Desde hace [length of time] For [length of time]
For example:
Te espero hasta que vuelvas I’ll wait for you until you arrive
3 comments. Leave new
There is a mistake on this page: https://spanishobsessed.com/phrases-and-vocabulary/spanish-time-phrases/
Esta semana = Tomorrow is incorrect
Thanks Janet, corrected!
Muchisimas gracias por la informacion muy util!