Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| noche | /ˈnot͡ʃe/ | feminine |
| cheno | /t͡ʃeno/ (from spelling rules) | Argentina, masculine |
Noche refers to the period between sunset and sunrise. In some Spanish-speaking regions, people use the phrase buenas noches as both a greeting to say "good evening" and a farewell to say "good night". Note that in certain regions, la tarde is used to refer to both the afternoon and the early evening, whereas noche specifically denotes the period of darkness. While noche describes the period of night, tarde refers to the time before nightfall.
Which one should you use?
Noche is the standard term for the period of darkness. In contrast, tarde refers to the afternoon or the evening before night actually falls.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Cheno is a masculine regional variation of night used in Argentina.
How does it change in a sentence?
Noche is a feminine noun, so it must be used with feminine articles such as la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈnotʃe/
Did you know?
- Spanish uses the verb trasnochar to describe the specific act of staying awake well into the noche.
- The word noche is a linguistic relative of the English word 'nocturnal' through their shared Latin root nox.
- The expression de una noche a otra is used metaphorically to describe a sudden and complete transformation in a person's life.
Examples in context
- Aún era de noche.It was still night.This sentence shows how to use noche to describe the time of day.Tatoeba #1705610 by marcelostockle, translation #3764948 by cromwellt
- ¿Qué tal tu noche?How was your night?This sentence shows how to ask about someone's noche.Tatoeba #1286350 by marcelostockle, translation #953357 by CK
- La noche era fría.The night was cold.This sentence demonstrates using noche with an adjective to describe weather.Tatoeba #1610748 by Shishir, translation #1582792 by CM
- Que tengas una buena noche.Ten a good night.
- Nos vemos al anochecer.Let's meet at nightfall.
- Salgo esta noche.I'll go out tonight.
- ¿Estás libre esta noche?Are you free tonight?
- Quedemos más tarde, en la noche.Let's meet later in the night.
- ¡Vamos de rumba esta noche!Let's go party tonight!
- 874 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are deciding when to meet for dinner.
- Daniel¿Puedes venir esta noche?Can you come tonight?
- SofíaSí, puedo ir a las ocho.Yes, I can go at eight.
- DanielPerfecto, nos vemos en la noche.Perfect, I'll see you at night.
- SofíaHasta entonces, Daniel.Until then, Daniel.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “night” translations and entries noche, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries noche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
