"Tiempo," "Vez," "Hora," and "Rato"

Quick Answer

There are several Spanish words you can choose from when translating the English word time: tiempo, vez, hora, or rato. Let's take a look at how to distinguish between them!

Tiempo

Tiempo is the most common translation of time, and is used in the following scenarios:

Talking About Time in a General Sense

Translate time as tiempo when you are making a general statement.

For example:

examples
El tiempo es una ilusión. Time is an illusion.
¡Date prisa! ¡El tiempo es dinero! Move it! Time is money!

Describing a Quantity of Time

We can also use tiempo when describing a quantity of time.

Let's take a look at some examples!

examples
Hace mucho tiempo que no veo a mi mejor amigo. It's been a long time since I saw my best friend.
Pedrito terminó el libro en muy poco tiempo. Pedrito finished the book in a very short time.

Discussing a Period of Time

To talk about an era or period of history, use tiempo.

In this context, we generally use the plural form tiempos.

Check out these examples!

examples
¿Cómo era la vida en los tiempos de los vikingos? What was life like in Viking times?
Su poema trata del amor en tiempos de guerra. His poem is about love in a time of war.

Talking About a Deadline

Use tiempo when something is done according to schedule.

For example:

examples
Por suerte, llegamos a tiempo. Luckily, we arrived on time.
No creo que vayas a llegar a tiempo. I don't think you'll get there in time.

¡Cuidado!(Careful!) We also use tiempo to describe the weather. Click here to learn more!

Vez

Tiempo is the most common translation of time, but we can't use it in every situation. Let's take a look at when to use vez instead!

Talking About a Specific Moment in Time

While tiempo is used to talk about time in a general sense, vez is used to refer to a specific moment in time.

Insider Tip

Try to think of vez in the sense of occasion.

Check out these examples!

examples
Probé rabo de toro la última vez que estuve en España. I tried oxtail the last time I was in Spain.
Me esforzaré más esta vez. I'll try harder this time.

Talking About the Frequency of an Action

Vez is also used to talk about the frequency in which an event occurs.

For example:

examples
Me cepillo los dientes dos veces por día. I brush my teeth two times a day.
Mi esposa va al centro comercial por lo menos diez veces al mes. My wife goes to the mall at least ten times per month.

Hora

Time can also be translated as hora when asking for the time.

For example:

examples
¿Qué hora es? - Son las tres. What time is it? - It's three o'clock.
¿Qué hora es en Tokio? What time is it in Tokyo?

Click here to learn more about telling time in Spanish.

Rato

Finally, we use rato to talk about an experience, primarily in phrases like pasar un buen rato(to have a good time) and pasar un mal rato(to have a bad time).

Let's take a look at some examples!

examples
Pasé un buen rato contigo. I had a good time with you.
Pasé un mal rato en la fiesta. I had a bad time at the party.

There are many other word pairs in Spanish that are especially tricky for English speakers. Here is a list of links to information about some of the most common tricky verb pairs in Spanish. Happy reading!