a. C.
In Spanish, 'bc' is expressed as a. C. Wiktionary also lists a. de J. C. (antes de Jesucristo) and a. de C.
Meaning: before Christ (adv)
Ways to say it
| Spanish |
|---|
| a. C. |
| a. de J. C. (antes de Jesucristo) |
| a. de C. |
What does it mean word for word?
The abbreviation a. C. stands for antes de Cristo, which literally means 'before Christ'.
Which one should you use?
The form a. de C. is a slightly more explicit version of the abbreviation as it includes the preposition de. While a. C. refers to the period before Christ, its counterpart d. C. (después de Cristo) is used to mean 'AD'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Abbreviations for eras in Spanish, such as a. C, typically use lowercase letters for the first part and uppercase letters for the second, often separated by periods. Another variation is a. de J. C, which expands the phrase to antes de Jesucristo.
Did you know?
- If you are writing about scientific eras that avoid religious references, you would swap a. C. for a. e. c, which stands for antes de la era común.
- The term antes shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ante', as seen in 'ante bellum', meaning 'before'.
- The preposition de in the phrase antes de Cristo descends from the Latin dē, which originally meant 'away from' or 'down from'.
Examples in context
- La construcción de las pirámides comenzó alrededor del 2600 a.C. (antes de Cristo).The construction of the pyramids began around 2600 BC (Before Christ).
- La antigua ciudad fue fundada alrededor del año 400 a.C. (antes de Cristo).The ancient city was founded around 400 BC (Before Christ).
- Esta civilización floreció en el 500 a. C.This civilization flourished in 500 BC.
- Se estima que nació en el 30 a. C.It is estimated that he was born in 30 BC.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are studying history in a library.
- SofíaCuándo nació Platón exactamente?When exactly was Plato born?
- JavierNació aproximadamente en el 427 a. C.He was born approximately in 427 BC.
- SofíaEs increíble que fuera hace tanto tiempo.It is incredible that it was so long ago.
- JavierSí, la historia antigua es fascinante.Yes, ancient history is fascinating.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bc” translations and entries a. C., a. de C., CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, a. C., de, CC BY-SA 4.0.
