a. m. / p. m.
The Spanish phrase for am pm is a. m. / p. m.
These abbreviations are used to indicate whether a time is before or after noon. When mentioning a specific time, it is common to use a las before the time. While these abbreviations are understood in written Spanish, it is much more common in spoken Spanish to use de la mañana to mean in the morning or de la tarde to mean in the afternoon.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Spanish-speaking countries, especially in Spain, the phrase de la madrugada is used to refer to the hours between midnight and dawn (early morning).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the abbreviations a. m. and p. m. are written with periods after each letter and a space between the letters.
Did you know?
- While p. m. covers the afternoon, Spanish uses the word noche to describe the time from roughly 8 or 9 p. m. until midnight. This creates a distinction between de la tarde and de la noche that does not exist with a single 'p.m.' marker.
- While English speakers often use 'am' and 'pm' in speech, Spanish speakers almost always use the 24-hour clock for official schedules, flights and train tickets to avoid confusion.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the 'afternoon' period marked by p. m. can extend much later into the evening than an English speaker might expect, often until long after sunset.
Examples in context
- La reunión empezará a las nueve por la mañana.The meeting will start at nine in the morning.
- El vuelo está programado para las ocho de la mañana.The flight is scheduled for eight in the morning.
- Nos vemos a las ocho de la mañana en el café.Let's meet at eight in the morning at the café.
- La película comienza a las siete de la tarde.The movie starts at seven in the evening.
- La fiesta empieza a las once de la noche.The party starts at eleven at night.
- Nos vemos a las tres PM en el parque.Let's meet at three PM in the park.
- a las cinco de la tardeAt five in the afternoon
- a las tres de la madrugadaAt three in the early morning
- a las dos de la nocheAt two at night
