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How to Say "ages" in Spanish

English → Spanish

tiempos

tee-EHM-pos/ˈtjem.pos/

nounA1General
Use this word when referring to past eras or a general sense of 'back in the day' when life was different.
A winding path illustrating different historical eras, featuring a large silhouette of a dinosaur representing prehistory, a medieval stone castle, and a stylized futuristic silver building.

Examples

En aquellos tiempos, la vida era mucho más simple.

In those times, life was much simpler.

Recordamos los viejos tiempos con mucha nostalgia.

We remember the old times with a lot of nostalgia.

Estos son malos tiempos para la economía global.

These are bad times for the global economy.

Plural vs. Singular

While 'tiempo' (singular) often means 'time' or 'weather,' 'tiempos' (plural) almost always means historical periods, eras, or the general state of things.

siglo

SEE-glo/ˈsiɣlo/

nounB2Informal
Use this word colloquially to exaggerate how long something feels, similar to saying 'it feels like forever'.
A deep, winding river flowing through a lush valley, disappearing into a distant, misty horizon, representing an extremely long, indefinite time.

Examples

Parece un siglo desde la última vez que fuimos de vacaciones.

It feels like ages since the last time we went on vacation.

¡Qué lento es este trámite! Llevo esperando un siglo.

This process is so slow! I've been waiting forever (literally: a century).

Use with 'Hacer'

You often use 'siglo' with the verb 'hacer' (hace un siglo) to mean 'it was a long time ago' or 'ages ago'.

eras

/EH-rahs//ˈeɾas/

nounB1Formal
Use this word when referring to distinct, very long historical periods, often in a geological, historical, or scientific context.
A visual representation of geological time, showing a vertical cross-section of the earth with distinct layers, featuring dinosaurs in the bottom layer, and ancient ruins in the layer above it, symbolizing different ages.

Examples

Los dinosaurios vivieron en eras geológicas pasadas.

Dinosaurs lived in past geological eras.

El libro describe las diferentes eras de la historia del arte.

The book describes the different eras of art history.

Estamos entrando en nuevas eras de exploración espacial.

We are entering new eras of space exploration.

Always Feminine

This word is the plural of 'la era', so 'eras' is always feminine. Remember to use feminine words like 'las' or 'muchas' with it: 'las eras pasadas' (the past eras).

Confusing with the Verb

Mistake: “La historia se divide en muchos eras.”

Correction: La historia se divide en muchas eras. The context is your best clue. If the sentence is about history or time, it's this noun. If it's about what 'you' (tú) used to be, it's the verb.

Distinguishing 'tiempos' from 'siglo'

Learners often confuse 'tiempos' (times/eras) with 'siglo' (century/ages). Remember that 'tiempos' refers to a past period or general historical context, while 'siglo' is used hyperbolically to mean a very long, indefinite duration, like 'it feels like ages'.

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