Spanish Prepositions of Time

Learn how Spanish prepositions of time work in real sentences. This guide explains time expressions with a, en, por, de, desde, hasta, durante, antes de, después de, para and dentro de.

Spanish prepositions of time with a en por de desde hasta durante antes de despues de and examples
Spanish time expressions: a las ocho, en enero, por la mañana, desde ayer, hasta el lunes.

Why learn Spanish time prepositions with MundoDele?

Time expressions are used constantly in Spanish: appointments, routines, travel, stories, plans and deadlines all need them. MundoDele explains them through sentence patterns, not isolated translations.

The core idea is simple: a las ocho gives clock time, en mayo gives a month, por la tarde gives a part of the day, desde ayer gives a starting point, and hasta mañana gives an end point.

How to use this page

Use this page after learning the basic Spanish prepositions. Start with the most common time patterns, then compare similar expressions such as por la mañana, en la mañana, desde, de, hasta and para.

Clock time

Use a for specific times on the clock.

La clase empieza a las ocho.
The class starts at eight.

Months and years

Use en with months, years and seasons.

Viajo en julio.
I travel in July.

Start and end

Use desde for the beginning and hasta for the end.

Trabajo desde las nueve hasta las cinco.

What are Spanish prepositions of time?

Spanish prepositions of time are prepositions and prepositional expressions that show time relationships. They answer questions such as when, since when, until when, for how long, before what, after what or by what deadline.

Preposition Main time use Spanish example English meaning
a Clock time La reunión es a las diez. The meeting is at ten.
en Months, years, seasons Nací en 1990. I was born in 1990.
por Part of the day / approximate time Trabajo por la mañana. I work in the morning.
desde Starting point Estoy aquí desde ayer. I have been here since yesterday.
hasta End point Me quedo hasta el lunes. I am staying until Monday.
durante Duration Estudié durante dos horas. I studied for two hours.
Memory line: time prepositions show when something happens, starts, ends or lasts.

A for clock time

Use a for specific clock times. In Spanish, clock time usually appears as a la una for one o’clock and a las... for other times.

Spanish expression Example sentence English meaning Note
a la una La clase empieza a la una. The class starts at one. Singular: la una.
a las dos Nos vemos a las dos. We will see each other at two. Plural: las dos.
a las ocho y media Trabajo a las ocho y media. I work at half past eight. Specific time.
a medianoche Salimos a medianoche. We leave at midnight. Fixed time expression.
al mediodía Comemos al mediodía. We eat at noon. a + el = al.

Related page: A in Spanish.

En for months, years and seasons

Use en for months, years and seasons. It is also used with longer periods when Spanish treats the time expression as a general time frame.

Time expression Spanish example English meaning Use
en enero Empiezo el curso en enero. I start the course in January. Month.
en 2026 Viajo en 2026. I travel in 2026. Year.
en primavera Florecen en primavera. They bloom in spring. Season.
en verano Hace calor en verano. It is hot in summer. Season.
en el siglo XXI Vivimos en el siglo XXI. We live in the 21st century. Long time period.

Related page: En in Spanish.

Por for parts of the day and approximate time

Use por with many parts of the day and approximate time expressions. It often gives a general time frame, not an exact point.

Time expression Spanish example English meaning Meaning
por la mañana Trabajo por la mañana. I work in the morning. Part of the day.
por la tarde Estudio por la tarde. I study in the afternoon. Part of the day.
por la noche Leo por la noche. I read at night. Part of the day.
por unos días Me quedo por unos días. I am staying for a few days. Approximate duration.
por ahora Por ahora, todo está bien. For now, everything is fine. Temporary time frame.

Related page: Por in Spanish.

De for time ranges and scheduled periods

Use de in many time ranges, especially when combined with a. The pattern de... a... means “from... to...” for opening hours, work hours and scheduled periods.

Spanish expression Example sentence English meaning Use
de nueve a cinco Trabajo de nueve a cinco. I work from nine to five. Work schedule.
de lunes a viernes Abren de lunes a viernes. They open from Monday to Friday. Weekly schedule.
de día Es mejor viajar de día. It is better to travel during the day. General time condition.
de noche Trabajo de noche. I work at night. Night work / period.
de madrugada Salimos de madrugada. We leave at dawn / very early. Fixed time expression.

Related page: De in Spanish.

Desde and hasta: since, from and until

Desde marks the starting point of a time period. Hasta marks the end point. They can also appear together as desde... hasta....

Expression Spanish example English meaning Time function
desde ayer Estoy aquí desde ayer. I have been here since yesterday. Starting point.
desde las ocho Trabajo desde las ocho. I have been working since eight. Starting time.
hasta mañana Me quedo hasta mañana. I am staying until tomorrow. End point.
hasta el viernes Tenemos tiempo hasta el viernes. We have time until Friday. Deadline or end point.
desde lunes hasta viernes Trabajo desde lunes hasta viernes. I work from Monday until Friday. Start and end.
Start and end rule: desde marks the beginning; hasta marks the end.

Durante for duration

Use durante when you want to say that something happened during a period of time. In many everyday contexts, Spanish can also express duration without a preposition.

Spanish expression Example sentence English meaning Comment
durante dos horas Estudié durante dos horas. I studied for two hours. Duration.
durante la clase No hablé durante la clase. I did not speak during class. During an event.
durante el verano Viajamos durante el verano. We travelled during the summer. During a season.
dos horas Estudié dos horas. I studied for two hours. Duration without preposition is also common.

Antes de and después de

Use antes de for “before” and después de for “after”. When a verb follows, Spanish uses the infinitive.

Expression Spanish example English meaning Structure
antes de clase Leo antes de clase. I read before class. antes de + noun
después de clase Hablamos después de clase. We talk after class. después de + noun
antes de salir Como antes de salir. I eat before leaving. antes de + infinitive
después de estudiar Descanso después de estudiar. I rest after studying. después de + infinitive
Important: after antes de and después de, use the infinitive when a verb follows.

Para and dentro de: deadlines and future time

Para can express a deadline or target time. Dentro de means “in” when speaking about how much time will pass before something happens.

Expression Spanish example English meaning Use
para el lunes Necesito el informe para el lunes. I need the report by Monday. Deadline.
para mañana La tarea es para mañana. The homework is for tomorrow / due tomorrow. Target date.
dentro de una hora Salimos dentro de una hora. We leave in one hour. Future time from now.
dentro de dos semanas El curso empieza dentro de dos semanas. The course starts in two weeks. Future interval.

Related page: Para in Spanish.

Al + infinitive for time

The structure al + infinitive means “when” or “upon” doing something. It is a compact way to connect two actions in time.

Spanish structure Example sentence English meaning Function
al llegar Al llegar, llamé a Ana. When I arrived, I called Ana. Action at arrival.
al salir Al salir, cerré la puerta. When I left, I closed the door. Action when leaving.
al terminar Al terminar, descansamos. When we finished, we rested. Action after completion.
al escuchar Al escuchar la noticia, se sorprendió. Upon hearing the news, he/she was surprised. Immediate time relation.

Common Spanish time preposition patterns

Some Spanish time expressions are best learned as fixed patterns. They are very common in daily speech, schedules, travel and storytelling.

Pattern Example English meaning Use
a + clock time a las seis at six Exact time.
en + month/year/season en abril in April Calendar period.
por + part of day por la noche at night General time of day.
de... a... de lunes a viernes from Monday to Friday Scheduled range.
desde... hasta... desde enero hasta marzo from January until March Start and end.
antes de + infinitive antes de comer before eating Before an action.
después de + infinitive después de estudiar after studying After an action.
dentro de + time dentro de tres días in three days Future interval.

Practice exercises: Spanish prepositions of time

Try to answer before opening the solutions. These exercises focus on a, en, por, desde, hasta, durante and después de.

Exercise 1: choose the preposition

  1. La clase empieza ___ las ocho.
  2. Viajo ___ julio.
  3. Trabajo ___ la mañana.
  4. Estoy aquí ___ ayer.
Show answers

1. a
2. en
3. por
4. desde

Exercise 2: complete the time phrase

  1. Trabajo de nueve ___ cinco.
  2. Me quedo ___ el lunes.
  3. Estudié ___ dos horas.
  4. Descanso después ___ estudiar.
Show answers

1. a
2. hasta
3. durante
4. de

Exercise 3: translate the expression

  1. at eight
  2. in March
  3. until tomorrow
  4. in two weeks
Show answers

1. a las ocho
2. en marzo
3. hasta mañana
4. dentro de dos semanas

Typical mistakes with Spanish prepositions of time

  • Using en for clock time: say a las ocho, not en las ocho.
  • Forgetting a in time ranges: say de lunes a viernes, not only de lunes viernes.
  • Confusing desde and de: desde often means “since” or marks a starting point; de... a... is common for schedules.
  • Using a conjugated verb after antes de or después de: say antes de salir, not antes de salgo.
  • Confusing para and por: para el lunes can mean a deadline; por la mañana is a general time of day.
  • Translating “in two weeks” literally with en: for future time from now, use dentro de dos semanas.
  • Forgetting fixed expressions: learn al mediodía, a medianoche, de noche and por ahora as complete phrases.
Phrase structure

Prepositional Phrases

Learn how prepositions form larger phrases with nouns, pronouns and infinitives.

Core contrast

Por vs Para

Understand purpose, cause, deadlines, route and time expressions with por and para.

Single preposition

A

Study a for clock time, movement, indirect objects and personal a.

Time words

Adverbs of Time

Learn words such as hoy, mañana, ayer, siempre and nunca.

Verb time

Spanish Tenses

Connect time expressions with present, past, future and compound tenses.

Where to go next

After learning prepositions of time, continue with prepositions of place, prepositional phrases and the contrast between por and para.

Prepositions of Place
Learn location and direction with en, a, de, cerca de and more. Prepositional Phrases
Study complete phrases such as después de clase and para estudiar. Por vs Para
Compare cause, purpose, route, deadlines and time expressions.

Learn Spanish grammar with MundoDele

Spanish prepositions of time help you speak about schedules, routines, plans, deadlines and stories. With MundoDele, you can learn them through clear patterns, real examples and connected grammar paths.

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FAQ: Spanish prepositions of time

What are Spanish prepositions of time?

Spanish prepositions of time are words and expressions that show when something happens, starts, ends or lasts. Examples include a las ocho, en marzo, por la mañana, desde ayer and hasta mañana.

Which preposition is used for clock time in Spanish?

Spanish uses a for clock time: a la una, a las dos, a las ocho y media.

Which preposition is used for months and years in Spanish?

Spanish usually uses en with months and years: en enero, en 2026, en verano.

What is the difference between desde and hasta?

Desde marks a starting point, as in desde ayer. Hasta marks an end point, as in hasta mañana.

How do you say “in two weeks” in Spanish?

For future time counted from now, Spanish commonly uses dentro de: dentro de dos semanas.

What follows antes de and después de in Spanish?

Antes de and después de can be followed by a noun or an infinitive: antes de clase, antes de salir, después de estudiar.

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