Spanish Conversation · Level 4
87 words
Spanish word
tiempo
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈtjempo/
Meaning
- masculine nountime
Example
¿Cuánto tiempo tienes?
How much time do you have?
More examples
Llegó a tiempo para comenzar la reunión.
He arrived on time to start the meeting.
Core concept
Steady metronome.
Common phrases
pasar el tiempo
pass the time
a tiempo
on time
ahorrar tiempo
save time
Similar words
hora: Sixty-minute period marked on the clock.
minuto: Sixty-second unit of time.
instante: A single, very brief moment.
rato: Short, unspecified span of time.
Definition in Spanish
Medida o ritmo que ordena acciones y eventos; abarca la duración, el tempo musical y las formas verbales que marcan el tiempo de la acción.
Word origin
From Latin tempus 'time', the root carries the sense of regular rhythm, which explains tiempo's uses for duration, musical tempo, and verb tense.
Usage tips
- When talking about verbs, Spanish often uses tiempo or tiempo verbal to mean grammatical tense rather than clock time.