Spanish prepositions of time: a for clock times (a las tres), de after a clock time (de la mañana), en for months, years and seasons, por for parts of the day alone (por la tarde), durante for a finished duration, desde and hasta for start and end points. Days of the week take no preposition: el lunes.
a + clock time · en + month/year · por + part of day · el + day- a, de, en, por, durante…
- Tell time and talk about schedules
- Common time-preposition mistakes
"At seven," "in July," "on Monday," "in the morning," "for three hours." English switches prepositions constantly when it talks about time, and so does Spanish — just not in the same places. Spanish prepositions of time are a short list, and once you know which one goes with clock times, months, parts of the day and durations, scheduling anything becomes easy.
I've watched thousands of students say en las tres for "at three" and en lunes for "on Monday." Both are natural mistakes and both come from translating word for word. Here's the map that stops the guessing.
The big pictureWhen to use Spanish prepositions of time
A preposition of time (preposición de tiempo) answers when or for how long. Each one has a job, and the job depends on what kind of time expression follows it:
- Clock times → a — La clase es a las diez. (Class is at ten.)
- Morning, afternoon or night after a clock time → de — a las siete de la mañana (at seven in the morning), a las nueve de la noche (at nine at night).
- Months, years, seasons → en — Nací en 1985. (I was born in 1985.) Viajamos en verano. (We travel in summer.)
- Parts of the day, no clock time → por — Trabajo por la tarde. (I work in the afternoon.)
- A closed duration → durante — Estudié durante dos horas. (I studied for two hours.)
- Start and end points → desde / hasta — Trabajo desde las nueve hasta las cinco. (I work from nine until five.)
- Sequence → antes de / después de — Ceno después de trabajar. (I have dinner after working.)
And one thing English speakers never expect: days of the week take no preposition at all. English says "on Monday"; Spanish says el lunes. The definite article does the work. Tengo cita el martes. (I have an appointment on Tuesday.) Make it plural and it becomes a habit: los martes = on Tuesdays.
The listThe Spanish prepositions of time, with examples
| Preposition | Used for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | clock times, age | Salimos a las ocho. — We leave at eight. |
| de | a.m. / p.m. after a clock time | Son las seis de la tarde. — It's six in the evening. |
| en | months, years, seasons, centuries | Empiezo en septiembre. — I start in September. |
| por | parts of the day (no clock time) | Corro por la mañana. — I run in the morning. |
| durante | a closed duration ("for") | Vivió allí durante diez años. — She lived there for ten years. |
| desde | starting point ("since," "from") | Estoy aquí desde el lunes. — I've been here since Monday. |
| hasta | end point ("until") | La tienda abre hasta las nueve. — The store is open until nine. |
| de … a | a range ("from … to") | Trabajo de nueve a cinco. — I work nine to five. |
| antes de | "before" + noun or infinitive | Llámame antes de salir. — Call me before leaving. |
| después de | "after" + noun or infinitive | Después de la cena, vemos una película. — After dinner, we watch a movie. |
| (none) el / los | days of the week, dates | La fiesta es el sábado. — The party is on Saturday. |
Notice that de and por split the day between them: with a clock time use de (a las dos de la tarde); without one use por (por la tarde).
Dates work like days: Mi cumpleaños es el 14 de julio — article, number, de, month. No "on."
Say your own schedule out loud, in order, every morning for a week: Me levanto a las siete. Trabajo por la mañana. Como a la una de la tarde. Los viernes salgo temprano. Después de cenar, leo. Five sentences, five different rules, and they become automatic because they're true.
In contextExamples in real Spanish
From the classroomCommon mistakes English speakers make
- "En" for clock times. La cita es en las tres is the most common error I see. Clock times take a: La cita es a las tres. Save en for months, years and seasons.
- "En" for days of the week. Voy al gimnasio en lunes — no. Drop the preposition and use the article: Voy al gimnasio el lunes (this Monday) or los lunes (every Monday).
- Mixing up de and por for the time of day. A las ocho por la noche is wrong; after a clock time it's a las ocho de la noche. Without a clock time, flip it: por la noche.
- Using "por" for "since." English speakers reach for por in Vivo aquí por 2020. A starting point is desde: Vivo aquí desde 2020. The full since/for system is in my lesson on since and for in Spanish.
- Forgetting "de" after antes and después. Antes salir is missing a piece. In front of a noun or an infinitive, it's always antes de salir, después de la reunión.
Sibling lessonPrepositions of time vs prepositions of place
The same four words — a, de, en, por — run both systems, which is why students mix them up. En is "in March" and also "in the kitchen." A is "at five" and also "to the airport." The word is the same; the question changes.
So before you choose, ask: is this answering when or where? When → this lesson. Where → the Spanish prepositions of place, where en means "at/in/on" for location and a marks movement toward somewhere. If the question is for how long — an ongoing duration, "I've lived here for two years" — that's a separate structure, desde hace, covered in how long in Spanish. The full toolkit lives in my hub on Spanish prepositions.
PracticeQuick quiz: spanish prepositions of time
Six questions from the lesson. Answer in your head, then open to check.
