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HomeArchiveIt’s About Time: More on Vez, Tiempo and Hora

It’s About Time: More on Vez, Tiempo and Hora

As promised, here are some lists of many time expressions in Spanish. Some of them may defy the rule about the difference between “tiempo” and “hora” explained last time (TT, April 17), but that’s language for you.

Expressions with “hora”:

Llegamos a buena hora. (We arrived in good time.)

Llegamos a primera hora. (We arrived first thing in the morning.)

Llegamos a última hora. (We arrived at the last minute.)

Tocan música a todas horas. (They play music at all hours.)

Tengo que poner en hora el reloj. (I have to set my watch.)

No veo la hora de terminar. (I can hardly wait to finish.)

¿A qué hora sale el tren? (What time does the train leave?)

Es hora de irnos. (It’s time for us to go.)

¡Pues, era hora! (Well, it was about time!)

¿Cuando tienes horas libres? (When do you have free time?)

Mi abuelo tiene las horas contadas. (My grandfather’s days are numbered.)

Llame a cualquier hora. (Call anytime.)

Expressions with “tiempo”:

Nací hace mucho tiempo. (I was born a long time ago.)

No quiero perder tiempo con esto. (I don’t want to waste time with this.)

Estamos viviendo en tiempos difíciles. (We are living in difficult times.)

Cantaba todo el tiempo que estuve ahí. (He was singing the whole time I was there.)

Tenemos que matar el tiempo entre presentaciones. (We must kill time between shows.)

Con el tiempo las cosas cambian. (In time, things change.)

Quizás podemos ganar tiempo. (Perhaps we can save time.)

Tiempo atrás todo el mundo fumaba.(Some time ago, everyone smoked.)

Leticia llegó fuera de tiempo. (Leticia arrived at the wrong time.)

Todo eso va a pasar a su tiempo. (All this will happen in due time.)

Expressions with “vez”:

A veces me haces enojar. (At times you make me mad.)

Cada vez que ella canta lloro. (Every time she sings, I cry.)

Hay veces que José tiene razón. (There are times that José is right.)

Llueve cada vez más. (It rains more and more.)

Terminemos de una vez por todas. (Let’s finish once and for all.)

El cocinero usó miel en vez de azúcar. (The cook used honey instead of sugar.)

Erase una vez una princesa bonita. (Once upon a time there was a pretty princess.)

Hágalo otra vez. (Do it again.)

Tal vez tengas razón. (Maybe you’re right.)

Solamente una vez amé en la vida. (Only once in my life did I love.)

Una vez que sepamos algo te llamo. (As soon as we know something, I’ll call you.)

Vivimos un día a la vez. (We live one day at a time.)

Sometimes Spanish time expressions use yet other words:

Estoy trabajando contra el reloj. (I am working against the clock.)

En ningún momento dije eso. (At no time did I say that.)

Para entonces voy a estar en la playa. (By that time, I’ll be at the beach.)

Por el momento el bebé duerme. (For the time being, the baby is sleeping.)

De ahora en adelante somos amigos. (From this time on, we’re friends.)

En un momento u otro entenderás. (At some time or other, you’ll understand.)

Esta noche voy a divertirme/pasarlo bien. (Tonight, I am going to have a good time.)

Sometimes two or more Spanish time expressions are used with the same meaning:

–en una u otra ocasión, en un momento u otro (at some time or another)

–a la vez, al mismo tiempo (at the same time)

–horas libres, tiempo libre (free time)

–a la hora, a tiempo (on time)

–una que otra vez, de vez en cuando, de tiempo en tiempo (once in awhile, now and then, from time to time)

No se preocupe. Si todavía no entiende, no trabaje horas extras. Con tiempo entenderá.

Mientras tanto y hasta la próxima vez, ¡que lo pase bien! (Don’t worry. If you’re still not getting this, don’t work overtime. In time, you’ll get it. In the meantime and until next time, have a good time!)

 

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