no hay tiempo
/no ai tjempo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "no time" is translated into Spanish as no hay tiempo.
no hay tiempo is used to state that there is not enough time available to do something. It can be used literally to describe a lack of minutes or hours, or figuratively to express that a situation is too urgent for certain actions.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (no), hay (there is/are) and tiempo (time).
How does it change in a sentence?
To say there is no time for a specific activity or noun, use the preposition para after the phrase (e.g., no hay tiempo para…). To express that there is no time to perform a certain action, you can follow the phrase with que plus an infinitive verb, such as in no hay tiempo que perder.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, tiempo can mean both 'time' and 'weather'. Depending on the context, no hay tiempo could theoretically be interpreted as 'there is no weather'.
- While no hay tiempo describes a lack of time, Spanish speakers often use the phrase no me da tiempo to express that they personally cannot finish a task in time.
- The word tiempo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'temperature', stemming from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to stretch'.
Examples in context
- No hay tiempo que perder.There is no time to be lost.Tatoeba #452915 by Shishir, translation #27775 by jaxhere
- No hay tiempo para explicaciones.There is no time for explanation.This sentence shows how to use the phrase with the preposition para.Tatoeba #1690036 by hayastan, translation #1641809 by Amastan
- ¡Apurémonos! No hay tiempo que perder.Hurry! There's no time to lose.This sentence shows how to use the phrase with the construction que plus an infinitive.Tatoeba #514187 by Leono, translation #516607 by kebukebu
- Lo siento, no puedo asistir a la reunión. No tengo tiempo.Sorry, I can't attend the meeting. I don't have time.
- Gracias por invitarme, pero estoy ocupado/a en este momento.Thank you for inviting me, but I am busy at the moment.
- No puedo ayudarte ahora, no tengo ni un minuto.I can't help you right now, I don't have even a minute.
- Perdona, no puedo acompañarte al cine. Estoy hasta el cuello de trabajo.Sorry, I can't join you at the movies. I am up to my neck with work.
- Gracias por pensar en mí, pero en este momento no puedo.Thank you for thinking of me, but I can't at the moment.
- No puedo ahora, ¿qué te parece si lo hacemos la próxima semana?I can't right now, how about doing it next week?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are rushing to catch a train.
- Daniel¡Date prisa, Sofía! No hay tiempo.Hurry up, Sofía! There is no time.
- Sofía¿Seguro que no hay tiempo para desayunar?Are you sure there is no time to eat breakfast?
- DanielNo, no hay tiempo si queremos llegar a la estación.No, there is no time if we want to get to the station.
- SofíaTienes razón, vamos corriendo.You're right, let's run.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hay, no, tiempo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
