año
/ˈaɲo/masculine
The Spanish word for year is año.
The term año is the most common and widely accepted way to say year in Spanish, referring to the time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun.
Meaning: time it takes for the Earth to complete one revolution around the Sun (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
Año is a masculine noun. When referring to one year, use the masculine article un to say un año. To make the word plural, use años.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈaɲo/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful to include the tilde (~) over the n. Writing ano without the tilde changes the meaning to 'anus'.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the phrase año nuevo is associated with the tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight to ensure luck for each month of the coming year.
- When talking about ages, Spanish speakers use the verb tener (to have) rather than 'to be', so you would say you 'have' a certain number of años.
- While 'year' is the standard translation, in some contexts, Spanish speakers might use ejercicio to refer to a 'fiscal year' in business.
Examples in context
- Es fin de año.It's the end of the year.This sentence shows how to use año to describe the end of the year.Tatoeba #5714200 by arh, translation #5697129 by Hybrid
- Fue el año pasado.It was last year.This sentence demonstrates using año to refer to the previous year.Tatoeba #4554438 by swyter, translation #3361982 by CM
- ¿En qué año naciste?What year were you born?This sentence illustrates asking about a birth year using año.Tatoeba #528810 by Shishir, translation #509620 by blay_paul
- un buen añoA good year
- Estoy estudiando desde hace cinco añosI have been studying for five years
- Necesito el informe financiero del último año calendario.I need the financial report from the last calendar year.
- ¡Feliz año nuevo!Happy New Year!
- El ejercicio fiscal cerrará el próximo mes.The fiscal year will close next month.
- 971 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are discussing their upcoming plans.
- Lucía¿Cuántos años tienes, Javier?How old are you, Javier?
- JavierTengo veinticinco años.I am twenty-five years old.
- Lucía¡Qué bien! Yo este año cumplo veintiocho.That's great! I turn twenty-eight this year.
- JavierParece que el tiempo pasa rápido.It seems time passes quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “year” translations and entries año, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
