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Spanish Adverbs of Time: Hoy, Ayer, Mañana and Ahora

Learn how Spanish expresses past, present, future, continuation and sequence with hoy, ayer, mañana, ahora, antes, después, luego, ya, todavía, aún, pronto, tarde and temprano.

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Basic question: adverbs of time answer ¿Cuándo? — “When?”
Spanish adverbs of time hoy ayer mañana ahora antes después ya todavía pronto tarde and temprano
Spanish time adverbs explain when something happens, happened or will happen.

Definition

What are Spanish adverbs of time?

Spanish adverbs of time locate an action, event or situation in the past, present or future. They can also show sequence, continuation, completion, proximity or delay.

Past

Ayer trabajé.
Yesterday I worked.

Present

Ahora estudio.
I am studying now.

Future

Mañana viajo.
I am travelling tomorrow.

A time word gives the listener the time reference. The verb form still expresses the grammatical tense.

Overview

Spanish adverbs of time at a glance

Form Meaning Spanish example English meaning Use
hoy today Hoy estudio español. Today I study Spanish. Current day
ayer yesterday Ayer trabajé mucho. Yesterday I worked a lot. Previous day
mañana tomorrow Mañana viajamos. Tomorrow we are travelling. Following day
ahora now Ahora vivo aquí. Now I live here. Current moment or period
antes before, earlier Antes vivía en Alemania. Before, I lived in Germany. Earlier time
después afterwards, later Después hablamos. We will talk afterwards. Later action
luego later, then Luego te llamo. I will call you later. Next action
ya already, now Ya terminé. I have already finished. Completion or change
todavía still, yet Todavía trabajo aquí. I still work here. Continuation
aún still, yet Aún no sabemos. We still do not know. Continuation or incomplete action
pronto soon Vuelvo pronto. I will return soon. Near future
tarde late Llegamos tarde. We arrived late. Late timing
temprano early Me levanto temprano. I get up early. Early timing
Remember: hoy = today · ayer = yesterday · mañana = tomorrow · ahora = now

Today, yesterday and tomorrow

Hoy, ayer and mañana

Form Time reference Spanish example Usual meaning
hoy Today Hoy tengo clase. Present or near future
ayer Yesterday Ayer tuve clase. Past
mañana Tomorrow Mañana tengo clase. Future
Mañana can mean “tomorrow” or “morning”.

Mañana trabajo. — I work tomorrow.
Trabajo por la mañana. — I work in the morning.

The article in la mañana identifies the part of the day.

Current time and order

Ahora, antes, después and luego

Current moment

Ahora

Refers to now or the current situation.

Ahora vivo en Argentina.
Now I live in Argentina.

Earlier time

Antes

Refers to an earlier situation or action.

Antes vivía en Alemania.
Before, I lived in Germany.

Later action

Después and luego

Introduce a later action or the next step.

Después hablamos.
Luego te llamo.

Example: Primero estudiamos, después comemos y luego salimos.

Early, late and soon

Pronto, tarde and temprano

Form Meaning Spanish example Typical use
pronto soon Vuelvo pronto. Near future
tarde late Llegamos tarde. Late arrival or action
temprano early Me levanto temprano. Early action or routine

These words are common when talking about routines, appointments and arrival times: cenamos tarde, llegó temprano and vuelvo pronto.

Completion and continuation

Ya, todavía and aún

These forms show whether something is complete, continues or has not happened yet.

Structure Meaning Spanish example English meaning
ya Already Ya terminé. I have already finished.
ya no No longer Ya no vivo allí. I no longer live there.
todavía Still Todavía trabajo aquí. I still work here.
todavía no Not yet Todavía no terminé. I have not finished yet.
aún Still Aún vive aquí. He or she still lives here.
aún no Still not, not yet Aún no sabemos. We still do not know.
Ya terminó. — It has already finished.
Todavía continúa. — It is still continuing.
Todavía no terminó. — It has not finished yet.
Aún and aun are not always the same.

Use aún with an accent when it means “still” or “yet”. Aun without an accent can mean “even” in expressions such as aun así.

Recent time

Recién, recientemente and últimamente

Form Meaning Spanish example Use
recién just, recently Recién llegué. Very common in Latin America
recientemente recently Recientemente cambié de trabajo. Neutral or formal
últimamente lately Últimamente estudio más. Recent period or trend
acabar de + infinitive to have just done something Acabo de llegar. Verb construction

Word order

Where do Spanish adverbs of time go?

Time adverbs often appear at the beginning or end of a sentence. Beginning position gives the time more emphasis. End position often sounds more neutral.

Beginning position End position Meaning Difference
Hoy estudio español. Estudio español hoy. I study Spanish today. Beginning position emphasises today.
Mañana viajamos. Viajamos mañana. We travel tomorrow. Both are natural.
Ayer trabajé mucho. Trabajé mucho ayer. I worked a lot yesterday. End position often sounds neutral.
Ahora no puedo. No puedo ahora. I cannot now. The focus changes slightly.
Ya, todavía and aún often stay close to the verb.

Ya terminé.
Todavía trabajo aquí.
Aún no sé.

Time and verb forms

Adverbs of time and Spanish verb tense

The time word gives context. The verb form expresses the grammatical tense.

Time word Spanish example Verb form Meaning
ayer Ayer estudié. Preterite Completed past action
antes Antes vivía aquí. Imperfect Previous situation or habit
hoy Hoy estudio en casa. Present Current-day action
ahora Ahora estoy trabajando. Present progressive Action in progress now
mañana Mañana voy a estudiar. Ir a + infinitive Planned future action
mañana Mañana estudio en casa. Present with future meaning Scheduled or planned action
ya Ya terminé. Completed action Highlights completion

Important difference

Adverbs of time vs adverbs of frequency

Adverbs of time answer “when?”. Adverbs of frequency answer “how often?”.

Time adverb Question Frequency adverb Question
hoy When? Today. siempre How often? Always.
ayer When? Yesterday. nunca How often? Never.
mañana When? Tomorrow. a veces How often? Sometimes.
ahora When? Now. normalmente How often? Normally.

Exercises

Practice Spanish adverbs of time

Choose the correct time word

  1. ___ trabajé mucho. — yesterday
  2. ___ tengo clase. — tomorrow
  3. ___ no puedo hablar. — now
  4. Vuelvo ___. — soon
Show answers

1. Ayer trabajé mucho.
2. Mañana tengo clase.
3. Ahora no puedo hablar.
4. Vuelvo pronto.

Choose ya or todavía

  1. ___ terminé. — already
  2. ___ trabajo aquí. — still
  3. ___ no entiendo. — not yet
  4. ___ no vive allí. — no longer
Show answers

1. Ya terminé.
2. Todavía trabajo aquí.
3. Todavía no entiendo.
4. Ya no vive allí.

Time or frequency?

  1. hoy
  2. siempre
  3. mañana
  4. a veces
Show answers

1. Hoy: time.
2. Siempre: frequency.
3. Mañana: time.
4. A veces: frequency.

Continue learning

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Common errors

Common mistakes with Spanish adverbs of time

  • Confusing mañana and la mañana: mañana can mean tomorrow; la mañana means the morning.
  • Assuming the time word creates the tense: the verb still carries the grammatical tense.
  • Using only one sentence position: both Hoy estudio and Estudio hoy can be correct.
  • Confusing time and frequency: hoy answers when; siempre answers how often.
  • Translating ya with one fixed English word: it can mean already, now or form ya no, meaning no longer.
  • Confusing todavía with ya: todavía normally expresses continuation or something that has not happened yet.
  • Writing aun without considering the meaning: use aún when it means still or yet.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Spanish adverbs of time

What are Spanish adverbs of time?

They explain when something happens. Common examples include hoy, ayer, mañana, ahora, antes, después, ya, todavía, pronto, tarde and temprano.

Where do Spanish adverbs of time go?

They often appear at the beginning or end of a sentence: Hoy estudio español or Estudio español hoy.

What is the difference between hoy, ayer and mañana?

Hoy means today, ayer means yesterday and mañana means tomorrow.

What is the difference between ya and todavía?

Ya commonly means already or signals a changed state. Todavía means still or yet and signals continuation or an incomplete action.

Does mañana mean morning or tomorrow?

Mañana can mean tomorrow. La mañana means the morning. Context and the article distinguish the meanings.

What is the difference between time and frequency adverbs?

Time adverbs answer when: hoy, ayer and mañana. Frequency adverbs answer how often: siempre, nunca and a veces.

Practice and support

Practise Spanish time words with the correct tense

Time adverbs become easier when you practise their meaning, position and connection with past, present and future verb forms.

Grammar support

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Work on time adverbs, sentence order, tense choice and individual grammar problems.

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Practise time expressions in conversation, narratives, appointments and daily routines.

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