ayer
/ah-yair/
yesterday
As an adverb, ayer means 'yesterday,' referring to the complete day immediately before today.
📝 In Action
Ayer fui al cine.
A1Yesterday I went to the movies.
¿Qué comiste ayer?
A1What did you eat yesterday?
La reunión fue ayer por la tarde.
A2The meeting was yesterday afternoon.
💡 Grammar Points
Placing 'Ayer' in a Sentence
'Ayer' is very flexible. You can put it at the beginning, end, or sometimes even in the middle of a sentence. For example: 'Ayer comí pizza' or 'Comí pizza ayer' both mean 'I ate pizza yesterday'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Ayer Noche'
Mistake: "Using 'ayer noche' to mean 'last night'."
Correction: While people will understand you, it's much more common and natural to say 'anoche' for 'last night'. Think of 'anoche' as its own special word.
⭐ Usage Tips
Pairing with the Right Past Tense
Since 'ayer' refers to a specific, completed time in the past, you'll almost always use it with the preterite tense (the 'I did' form), like 'fui' (I went), 'comí' (I ate), 'hablé' (I spoke).
When used as a noun (el ayer), the word refers to the past as a general, conceptual idea or memory.
📝 In Action
El ayer ya no importa, solo el presente.
B2The past no longer matters, only the present.
No podemos vivir en el ayer.
C1We can't live in yesterday (in the past).
💡 Grammar Points
Using 'El Ayer'
When 'ayer' is used to mean 'the past' as a general idea, it acts like a noun. This means you'll almost always see 'el' in front of it: 'el ayer'.
⭐ Usage Tips
When to Use This
You'll mostly see this poetic use in songs, poems, or deep conversations. For everyday chat, stick to the simple adverb form.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: ayer
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence is the most natural way to say 'I saw Maria last night'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'ayer' and 'anoche'?
'Ayer' refers to the entire 24-hour period of the day before today. 'Anoche' specifically refers to the evening or night part of that day. So, you could say 'Ayer por la mañana...' (Yesterday morning...) but you would just say 'Anoche...' for last night.
How do I say 'the day before yesterday'?
That's another handy word: 'anteayer'. It literally combines 'ante' (before) and 'ayer' (yesterday).