mucho tiempo
/mut͡ʃo tjempo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "long time" is translated into Spanish as mucho tiempo.
It is used as part of greeting of two people who have not been in contact for a long time. The idiomatic expression Mucho tiempo sin vernos is a common way to say "Long time no see!" when greeting someone. If you want to say "A long time ago", you should add Hace to the front of the phrase to get Hace mucho tiempo.
Meaning: used as part of greeting of two people who have not been in contact for a long time (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mucho (much or a lot) and tiempo (time).
How does it change in a sentence?
Because tiempo is a masculine noun, the adjective mucho must also be used in its masculine form.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word for 'time', tiempo, can also refer specifically to 'weather' in many contexts, which can lead to confusion in daily conversation.
- If a speaker says Hace mucho tiempo, they are using the verb hacer, which means 'to do' or 'to make'. Literally, they are saying that a long time 'makes' or 'does' the distance.
- The word mucho evolved from the Latin multus. This is the same root used in English words like 'multitude' and 'multiply'.
Examples in context
- Ha pasado mucho tiempo.Long time, no see.Tatoeba #1372092 by marcelostockle, translation #417003 by CK
- Mucho tiempo sin vernos.Long time no see!Tatoeba #1167161 by marcelostockle, translation #1230521 by alec
- Diez años es mucho tiempo.Ten years is a long time.Tatoeba #536440 by Leono, translation #73398 by CK
- No nos vemos desde hace mucho tiempo.We haven't seen each other for a long time.
- Hace mucho tiempo que no visito a mi familia.It's been a long time since I visited my family.
- Esperé por mucho tiempo para recibir una respuesta.I waited for a long time to receive a response.
- Trabajé en esa empresa por mucho tiempo.I worked in that company for a long time.
- ¡Hace muchísimo tiempo que no nos vemos!It's been such a long time since we last saw each other!
- He pasado muchísimo tiempo buscando el regalo perfecto.I've spent a lot of time looking for the perfect gift.
- No jugaba al fútbol desde hace un montón de tiempo.I hadn't played soccer for a long time.
- Hace un montón de tiempo que no voy al cine.It's been a long time since I went to the movies.
- 197 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two old friends bump into each other at a cafe.
- Lucía¡Mateo! ¡Ha pasado mucho tiempo!Mateo! It has been a long time!
- Mateo¡Hola, Lucía! Es verdad, ha pasado mucho tiempo.Hi, Lucía! It's true, it has been a long time.
- Lucía¿Cómo has estado todo este tiempo?How have you been all this time?
- MateoMuy bien, ¿y tú?Very well, and you?
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
