de madrugada
/de madɾuɡada/from spelling rules
The English phrase "very early in the morning" can be translated into Spanish as de madrugada.
De madrugada is used to refer to the early hours of the morning, specifically the period between midnight and sunrise.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built around the noun madrugada, which refers to the period of time between midnight and dawn.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between using de madrugada and de la mañana. You should use de madrugada for the very early hours, such as 2:00 AM to 5:00 AM, whereas de la mañana is used for standard morning hours from approximately 7:00 AM onwards.
How does it change in a sentence?
While de madrugada is used as an adverbial phrase, you may also see the common alternative en la madrugada, which is used to mean "during the early morning hours".
How do you pronounce it?
/de madɾuɡada/
Did you know?
- There is a common Spanish proverb no por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano, which means 'waking up earlier won't make the sun rise any sooner'. It is used to tell people that rushing things does not always lead to faster results.
- In Spanish, you can use the verb madrugar as a complete action, such as mañana madrugo. This expresses the intention to wake up early without needing to specify a time or an object.
- The noun madrugada comes from the verb madrugar, which literally means to wake up before dawn.
Examples in context
- Me levanté tempranito hoyI woke up bright and early today
- Salimos de madrugada hacia el aeropuertoWe left for the airport in the early hours of the morning
- La reunión comenzará muy temprano en la mañanaThe meeting will start very early in the morning
- El vuelo sale a primera hora de la mañanaThe flight departs at the first hour of the morning
- Vamos a salir tempranito para evitar el tráficoWe're going to leave bright and early to avoid traffic
- Llegué de madrugada después de la fiestaI arrived in the early hours of the morning after the party
- Hace falta madrugar para aprovechar bien el día cuando viajasIt's necessary to wake up early to make the most of the day when you travel
- Despertarse tempranito es una buena rutina para aumentar la productividadWaking up bright and early is a good routine to increase productivity
- Me desperté de madrugada.I woke up very early in the morning.
- El tren sale de madrugada.The train leaves very early in the morning.
- Tuve que trabajar de madrugada.I had to work very early in the morning.
- Ella siempre estudia de madrugada.She always studies very early in the morning.
Example conversation
Javier and María are talking about a noisy neighbor.
- Javier¿Por qué despertaste tan pronto?Why did you wake up so early?
- MaríaEl vecino puso música de madrugada.The neighbor played music very early in the morning.
- JavierQué molesto es él.He is so annoying.
- MaríaSí, no me dejó dormir.Yes, he didn't let me sleep.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
