era
/ˈeɾa/feminine
The Spanish word for 'era' is era. Wiktionary also lists época and período.
Meaning: time period (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| era | /ˈeɾa/ | feminine |
| época | /ˈepoka/ | feminine |
| período | /peˈɾiodo/ | masculine |
All these terms refer to a time period, but they carry different nuances regarding the scale and nature of that time.
Which one should you use?
era refers to a significant or epochal period of time. In contrast, época is a more general term for a period, time or era and is used much more frequently in everyday conversation. período is often used for more specific, bounded or technical durations of time, such as a biological period or a specific historical interval, whereas era implies a broader historical shift.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of era is eras. Because era is a feminine noun, its plural form uses the feminine article las to form las eras.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeɾa/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, era can be a noun meaning 'era', but it is also the imperfect past tense of the verb ser, meaning 'was'. This means a sentence like Era una era could translate to 'It was an era'.
- Outside of time and grammar, era can refer to a threshing floor where grain was separated from the chaff.
- The word época originates from the Ancient Greek word for a 'stop' or 'pause'. It originally described the moment a star seems to halt at its highest point in the sky before descending.
Examples in context
- Este es el inicio de una nueva era.This is the beginning of a new era.This sentence is useful for describing the start of a new era using era.Tatoeba #3007075 by cueyayotl, translation #3007072 by CM
- La revolución introdujo una nueva era.The revolution ushered in a new era.This sentence is useful for showing how a revolution can lead to a new era using era.Tatoeba #445678 by Shishir, translation #21658 by Ivan24
- Estamos en la era de la energía nuclear.We are in the era of atomic energy.This sentence is useful for discussing a specific era of technology using era.Tatoeba #567205 by Shishir, translation #22976 by CN
- La época victorianaThe Victorian era
- El período prehistóricoThe prehistoric period
- La era digital ha transformado la forma en que nos comunicamos.The digital era has transformed the way we communicate.
- Fue maravilloso vivir en la era pre-internet, sin tantas distracciones tecnológicas.It was wonderful to live in the pre-internet era, without so many technological distractions.
- En aquel tiempoIn that era
- La época hippieThe hippie era
- Los años 80The 80s
- Los años 90 fueron una época de cambios musicales y culturales significativos.The 90s were an era of significant musical and cultural changes.
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing a museum exhibit about dinosaurs.
- MaríaMe encanta esta exhibición sobre la era mesozoica.I love this exhibition about the Mesozoic era.
- MateoSí, fue una era con animales increíbles.Yes, it was an era with incredible animals.
- MaríaImagina vivir en esa era hace millones de años.Imagine living in that era millions of years ago.
- MateoSería muy peligroso para nosotros, María.It would be very dangerous for us, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “era” translations and entries era, época, período, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries era, período, época, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
