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pronto

PRON-tohˈpɾon.to

soon

Also: quickly, early
A small, colorful bird flying at high speed across a bright blue sky towards a distant, welcoming tree.

📝 In Action

Nos vemos pronto.

A1

See you soon.

La cena estará lista pronto.

A1

Dinner will be ready soon.

Termina la tarea pronto para que podamos jugar.

A2

Finish the homework quickly so we can play.

Este año, la primavera llegó muy pronto.

B1

This year, spring arrived very early.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • próximamente (soon)
  • rápidamente (quickly)
  • temprano (early)

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • hasta pronto – see you soon
  • tan pronto como – as soon as
  • de pronto – suddenly, all of a sudden

Idioms & Expressions

  • por lo pronto – for the time being, for now

ready

Also: quick
Argentina, Uruguay
A cheerful child wearing bright red shoes and a helmet, standing perfectly still next to a colorful bicycle, looking eagerly forward.

📝 In Action

Estoy pronto para salir.

B1

I am ready to leave.

Ella es una mujer pronta y decidida.

B2

She is a quick and decisive woman.

Dieron una pronta respuesta a nuestra solicitud.

B2

They gave a quick response to our request.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

outburst

Also: impulse
NounmC1formal
A solid, smooth, blue ceramic vase suddenly and sharply erupting with a contained, bright orange and yellow visual burst of light and energy from its top.

📝 In Action

En un pronto de ira, golpeó la mesa.

C1

In an outburst of anger, he hit the table.

Le dio un pronto y decidió viajar por el mundo.

C1

He had a sudden impulse and decided to travel the world.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • arrebato (outburst)
  • impulso (impulse)

Common Collocations

  • un pronto de... – an outburst of...

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "pronto" in Spanish:

early→impulse→outburst→quick→quickly→ready→soon→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: pronto

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence is correct?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
prontitud(promptness, speed) — Noun
prontamente(promptly, quickly) — Adverb
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from the Latin word 'promptus', which meant 'ready', 'at hand', or 'quick'. It's the same root that gives us the English words 'prompt' and 'promptitude'. You can see how the ideas of being ready and being quick are closely related.

First recorded: Around the 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: promptItalian: prontoPortuguese: pronto

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 'pronto' and 'rápido'?

Great question! 'Pronto' often refers to time, meaning 'soon'. 'Rápido' refers to speed, meaning 'fast' or 'quickly'. If you're finishing a task, you could do it 'pronto' (soon) or 'rápido' (quickly), and the meaning is similar. But you can't say 'el coche es pronto' (the car is soon); you must say 'el coche es rápido' (the car is fast).

Why do Italians say 'Pronto?' on the phone?

In Italian, 'pronto' is the standard way to answer the phone, and it means 'Ready?' as in 'I'm ready to talk'. While Spanish and Italian both get the word from Latin, this is a specific use that only developed in Italian. In Spanish, you would answer with '¿Hola?', '¿Diga?', or '¿Bueno?' depending on the region.