tercer período
/teɾθeɾ peɾiodo/from spelling rules
The English phrase "third period" is translated into Spanish as tercer período.
tercer período refers to the final segment of a game or a specific interval of time within a series of three.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for "third" changes based on the gender of the noun it describes. The form tercer is an apocopated form used specifically when placed immediately before a masculine singular noun. If the noun being described is feminine, you must use the feminine form tercera instead.
How do you pronounce it?
/teɾθeɾ peɾiodo/
Did you know?
- While tercer período is used for sports, a student in a Spanish-speaking country would call their third class of the day la tercera hora, literally 'the third hour'.
- The root of período comes from a Greek word meaning 'to go around a circle', implying a cyclical return rather than just a fixed block of time.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, sports segments are referred to as 'tiempos' rather than 'períodos', which is more commonly used for academic or geological intervals.
Examples in context
- Tengo clase de biología durante el tercer periodo.I have biology class during the third period.
- Nos vemos después de la tercera clase.Let's meet after the third period.
- Tenemos un descanso después del tercer tiempo.We have a break after the third period.
- El tercer período del partido fue muy intenso.The third period of the game was very intense.
- Solo queda el tercer período de la competencia.Only the third period of the competition remains.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are discussing a hockey game on TV.
- Sofía¿Cómo va el juego?How is the game going?
- JavierEstamos empezando el tercer período.We are starting the third period.
- Sofía¡Qué emoción, Javier!How exciting, Javier!
- JavierSí, será un final muy reñido.Yes, it will be a very close finish.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries período, tercer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
