Spanish · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Early" in Spanish: temprano

temprano

Say it: tem-PRAH-nohadverb/temˈpɾano/

Early in Spanish is temprano. Put temprano after the verb: llego temprano. Temprano en la mañana means early in the morning.

Work

Llego temprano a la oficina.
I arrive early at the office.
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How to pronounce temprano

Say it

tem-PRAH-noh

/temˈpɾano/

tem-PRAH-noh. Stress PRAH. Clear final o.

"Early" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
tempranoearly

Default adverb of time.

llegar tempranoto arrive early

Work, class, appointments.

temprano en la mañanaearly in the morning

Clock time with morning.

más tempranoearlier

Comparing two times.

muy tempranovery early

Stronger than plain temprano.

How to use temprano in real life

  1. 1Work

    Llego temprano a la oficina.

    I arrive early at the office.

    Llegar + temprano.

  2. 2Morning

    Salgo temprano al mercado.

    I leave early for the market.

    Temprano after the verb.

  3. 3Plans

    ¿Podemos vernos más temprano?

    Can we meet earlier?

    Más temprano means earlier.

Mistakes English speakers make with temprano

Incorrect: Soy temprano.

Correct: Llego temprano.

Temprano is an adverb, not a person adjective.

Incorrect: Llego early.

Correct: Llego temprano.

Use temprano, not the English word.

Good to know

In many Latin American cities, llegar temprano often means beating traffic. Temprano is relative to the activity.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Setting a meeting time

  1. ChatPal

    ¿Salimos temprano mañana?

    Shall we leave early tomorrow?

  2. You

    Sí. Prefiero salir temprano.

    Yes. I prefer to leave early.

  3. ChatPal

    ¿A las siete está bien?

    Is seven okay?

  4. You

    Siete es temprano, pero sí.

    Seven is early, but yes.

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"Early" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Early" in Spanish

Does temprano change for gender?

No. Temprano stays the same.

Where do I put temprano?

Usually after the verb: llego temprano.

How do I say earlier?

Más temprano.

How do I say very early?

Muy temprano.

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