tres meses
/tɾes meses/from spelling rules
The English phrase "three months" is translated into Spanish as tres meses.
tres meses is used to denote a period of time lasting three months.
Which one should you use?
While tres meses is a standard way to describe the duration, the term un trimestre is used specifically in business contexts to refer to a three-month period or a financial quarter. Additionally, in some regions of Spain, you may hear the phrase un cuarto de año to mean a quarter of a year, which also refers to a three-month period.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you may hear tres meses. In Spain, you can use un trimestre or the phrase un cuarto de año to refer to this period.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word meses is the plural form of the noun mes (month). For comparison, the singular form for one month is un mes.
How do you pronounce it?
/tɾes meses/
Did you know?
- While tres meses is common for duration, Spanish medical professionals typically divide pregnancy into three trimestres rather than counting nine individual meses.
- The word mes shares a common ancestor with the English word 'month' and the Greek word 'mēn', both originating from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be full', referring to the moon.
- When talking about a person's age or a specific developmental milestone, Spanish speakers use the phrase a los tres meses rather than just tres meses.
Examples in context
- Tom murió hace tres meses.Tom died three months ago.This sentence is useful for showing how to express that someone died a certain number of months ago using tres meses.Tatoeba #2974994 by hayastan, translation #2544601 by CK
- Se casaron hace tres meses.They got married three months ago.This sentence is useful for showing how to express that a marriage occurred a certain number of months ago using tres meses.Tatoeba #803417 by Shishir, translation #680124 by Source_VOA
- Pasé tres meses en Australia.I spent three months in Australia.This sentence is useful for expressing the amount of time spent in a location using tres meses.Tatoeba #5755767 by arh, translation #5691914 by CK
- Necesitaremos trabajar en esto durante tres meses.We will need to work on this for three months.
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing a work project.
- Lucía¿Cuánto tiempo dura el curso?How long does the course last?
- JavierDura exactamente tres meses.It lasts exactly three months.
- LucíaEs un periodo corto para aprender tanto.It is a short period to learn so much.
- JavierSí, pero es muy intensivo.Yes, but it is very intensive.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tres, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
