a. C.
In Spanish, the English phrase BCE is expressed as a. C.
The abbreviation a. C. is the Spanish equivalent of the English BC.
Meaning: secularized form of BC (adv)
Which one should you use?
The abbreviation a.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, antes de la era cristiana can be used instead of antes de la era común.
Did you know?
- While a. C. is the standard abbreviation, you will rarely see it spoken as the letters 'a' and 'ce'. Instead, speakers almost always say the full phrase antes de Cristo.
- The letter a in a. C. is derived from the Latin preposition ad, which means 'to'.
- While English speakers might say 'BCE' to be secular, many Spanish speakers continue to use a. C. in neutral settings because it is the deeply embedded linguistic standard.
Examples in context
- La ciudad fue fundada en el 300 a. C.The city was founded in 300 BC.
- Ese evento ocurrió en el 50 a. C.That event occurred in 50 BC.
- El tratado es del año 100 a. C.The treaty is from the year 100 BC.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are discussing a history book at a library.
- Alejandro¿En qué año nació este emperador?In what year was this emperor born?
- SofíaDice que nació en el 12 a. C.It says he was born in 12 BC.
- AlejandroEs un periodo muy interesante.It is a very interesting period.
- SofíaSí, Alejandro, la historia es fascinante.Yes, Alejandro, history is fascinating.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry a. C., CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, a. C., CC BY-SA 4.0.
