medianoche
/medjaˈnot͡ʃe/
The Spanish phrase for "midnight hour" is medianoche.
medianoche is used to refer to midnight. Unlike the English 'midnight hour', the Spanish medianoche is typically used as a single noun to refer to the time itself, rather than emphasizing the 'hour'.
What does it mean word for word?
The word medianoche is a compound of media (middle) and noche (night).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'at midnight', use the feminine article 'la' with the preposition 'a' as a la medianoche.
How do you pronounce it?
/medjaˈnotʃe/
When do people say it?
In Spain, las 12 en punto de la noche is a specific way to refer to the 'midnight hour'.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the 'midnight hour' on New Year's Eve is not just a time, but the specific moment for the custom of eating twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, medianoche is associated with 'la hora bruja' or 'the witching hour', when supernatural events are most likely to occur.
- The word medianoche shares a common linguistic ancestor with the French minuit and the Italian mezzanotte, all of which stem from the same Latin concept of the 'middle of the night'.
Examples in context
- Es medianoche en todo el mundo.It is midnight all over the world.
- Llegamos justo a la medianoche.We arrived exactly at midnight.
- La fiesta terminó a la medianoche.The party ended at midnight.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are discussing their travel plans.
- ElenaA qué hora llega el vuelo?What time does the flight arrive?
- AlejandroEl avión aterriza a medianoche.The plane lands at midnight.
- ElenaEs muy tarde para viajar.It is very late to travel.
- AlejandroSí, pero es el único horario.Yes, but it is the only schedule.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry medianoche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries medianoche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
