How to Say "yesterday" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “yesterday” is “ayer” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
English → SpanishA1
AdverbA1
The day before today
Examples
Ayer fui al cine.
Yesterday I went to the movies.
¿Qué comiste ayer?
What did you eat yesterday?
La reunión fue ayer por la tarde.
The meeting was yesterday afternoon.
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'.
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.
Other Meanings of “ayer”
“ayer” can also mean:
- The past, as a concept(B2, formal)
Related Translations
Learn Spanish with Inklingo
Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.