antes
/ˈantes/
The Spanish word for 'earlier' is antes.
antes is an adverb used to mean 'previously', 'before now' or 'sooner'.
Meaning: previously, before now, sooner (adv)
Which one should you use?
Depending on the context, antes can mean either 'earlier' or 'before'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈantes/
Did you know?
- The phrase antes bien is used as a formal connector meaning 'on the contrary' or 'rather', which has nothing to do with time.
- The word antes shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ante', as seen in terms like 'antechamber' or the poker term 'ante up'.
- To say 'earlier' in the sense of 'earlier in the day' or 'earlier this morning', speakers often switch from antes to the adjective temprano.
Examples in context
- La he visto antes.I saw her earlier.This sentence is useful for saying you saw someone earlier.Tatoeba #2071829 by Shishir, translation #3910617 by CH
- Siento lo de antes.Sorry about earlier.This sentence is useful for apologizing about something that happened earlier.Tatoeba #1415641 by marcelostockle, translation #1124639 by Scott
- Salí un rato antes.I left a bit earlier.This sentence is useful for stating you left a little bit earlier.Tatoeba #6564606 by arh, translation #10274048 by LimeGreenTeknii
- La reunión se pospuso al día anteriormente acordadoThe meeting was postponed to the previously agreed day
- Llegué antes de la hora acordadaI arrived earlier than the agreed time
- Trabajé más temprano hoy para salir antesI worked earlier today to leave earlier
- Anteriormente, vivía en Buenos Aires, pero me mudé a BarcelonaEarlier, I used to live in Buenos Aires, but I moved to Barcelona
- En mi experiencia laboral anterior, aprendí mucho sobre gestión de proyectosIn my previous work experience, I learned a lot about project management
- 67 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María are discussing a meeting time.
- Javier¿Podemos vernos antes?Can we meet earlier?
- MaríaSí, yo puedo a las tres.Yes, I can at three.
- JavierPerfecto, te escribí antes para confirmar.Perfect, I wrote to you earlier to confirm.
- MaríaVale, nos vemos entonces.Okay, see you then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “earlier” translations and entries antes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries antes, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
