How to Say "afternoon" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “afternoon” is “tarde” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA1
NounA1
The part of the day between midday and evening.
Examples
Nos vemos esta tarde.
See you this afternoon.
Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está?
Good afternoon, how are you?
Paso la tarde leyendo en el parque.
I spend the afternoon reading in the park.
Using 'por' for Times of Day
To say 'in the afternoon', Spanish uses 'por la tarde'. This pattern works for other times of day too: 'por la mañana' (in the morning) and 'por la noche' (at night).
When does 'afternoon' end?
Mistake: “Thinking 'tarde' ends at 5 p.m. like in English.”
Correction: In many Spanish-speaking places, 'la tarde' lasts until it gets dark, which could be 8 or 9 p.m. You say 'buenas tardes' until then, not 'buenas noches'.
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