medianoche
/medjaˈnot͡ʃe/feminine
Midnight in Spanish is medianoche.
The term medianoche refers to 12 o'clock at night exactly. When mentioning a specific time, it is common to use the preposition a before the hour, such as in a medianoche.
Meaning: 12 o'clock at night exactly (noun)
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?
The noun medianoche is feminine and requires feminine articles like la or una. When expressing that something happens at midnight, use the prepositional phrase a la medianoche because the noun is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/medjaˈnotʃe/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the transition to a new day at medianoche is often celebrated with the ritual of eating twelve grapes.
- The word noche has a sister word nochebuena, which refers to 'Christmas Eve' rather than the literal 'good night'.
- The word medianoche is a cognate with the French 'minuit' and Italian 'mezzanotte', all of which describe the 'middle of the night'.
Examples in context
- Aún no es medianoche.It's not midnight yet.This sentence is useful for saying it is not yet midnight.Tatoeba #9161325 by arh, translation #9188905 by DJ_Saidez
- Es casi medianoche aquí.It's almost midnight here.This sentence is useful for saying it is almost midnight in a specific location.Tatoeba #1100987 by hayastan, translation #792415 by CK
- Él me llamó a medianoche.He rang me up at midnight.This sentence is useful for describing an action that occurred at midnight.Tatoeba #746510 by Shishir, translation #297659 by Zifre
- El reloj marcó la medianoche y todos comenzaron a cantar 'Feliz Año Nuevo'The clock struck midnight, and everyone started singing 'Happy New Year'.
- Salgamos a dar un paseo a las doce de la nocheLet's go for a walk at midnight.
- Nos vemos en la fiesta a las doce de la nocheWe'll meet at the party at midnight.
- Voy a llegar a medianoche.I will arrive at midnight.
- Quedamos en encontrarnos en la plaza a las doce de la noche en punto.We agreed to meet at the square at exactly midnight.
- 85 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are discussing when to start a movie.
- MaríaLa película empieza a medianoche.The movie starts at midnight.
- DanielEso es demasiado tarde para mí.That is too late for me.
- MaríaPero es la única función disponible.But it is the only screening available.
- DanielEstá bien, vamos a medianoche entonces.Alright, let's go at midnight then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midnight” translations and entries medianoche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries medianoche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
