Spanish word

atardecer

Pronunciation

IPA/ataɾðeˈθeɾ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounearly evening, dusk

Example

Vamos a caminar al atardecer.

Let's go for a walk in the early evening.

Illustration for atardecer (early evening)

More examples

Me gusta ver el atardecer desde la terraza.

I like to watch the sunset from the terrace.

Core concept

Soft golden light on the horizon as day cools.

Common phrases

  • al atardecer

    in the early evening

  • ver el atardecer

    watch the sunset

  • salir al atardecer

    go out in the early evening

Similar words

tarde: Late-afternoon hours before evening.
puesta de sol: Moment when the sun sinks below the horizon.
anochecer: Darkening period as day gives way to night.

Definition in Spanish

Periodo del día entre la tarde y la noche en que la luz disminuye y el cielo adquiere tonos cálidos.

Word origin

Derived from tarde (Latin tardus 'late') plus the suffix -ecer (from Latin -escere), a formation that created a verb meaning 'to become evening' and then the noun for the time when daylight fades.

Usage tips

  • Atardecer contrasts with puesta de sol: atardecer refers to the general fading-light time and puesta de sol refers to the actual setting of the sun.

Other meanings

  • sunsetnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • atardecidoduskyadjective
  • atardecimientodusknoun

Word lists with this word