Prepositions: indicating times of day

Using por, en, a/al and de/del with times of the day

In Spanish we use different prepositions to talk about parts of the day. If you know the idea behind each one, the choice becomes much easier.

• por = a general period of the day
• en = a specific part of the day, seen as a block
• a / al = a precise time or a punctual moment
• de / del = description of when, not the main focus of the sentence

1. por + part of the day (general period)

Use por when you talk about a habitual or general time of day, not a specific clock time.

• por la mañana – in the morning (in general)
• por la tarde – in the afternoon / evening (in general)
• por la noche – at night (in general)

Typical uses:

• routines: Trabajo por la mañana.
• plans that are not tied to an exact hour: Nos vemos por la tarde.

Self-check

• If you could say in English “in the morning / in the afternoon / at night” in a general way, Spanish usually uses por.

2. en + a specific part of the day

Use en when you see that part of the day as a clear block or moment, often with a more “exact” feeling than por.

• en la madrugada – in the (early) dawn hours
• en la noche – at night (as a block of time)

In many everyday phrases, por is more common than en for morning, afternoon, night.
But en is very natural with words like madrugada (very early morning).

Contrast

• Estudio por la noche. – I usually study at night (habit).
• Hoy estudias en la noche. – Today you will study in the night (tonight as a block, more concrete).

Self-check

• If you want to sound safe at A1, prefer por for mañana / tarde / noche in general habits.
• Use en especially with madrugada: en la madrugada.

3. a / al + precise time or punctual moment

Use a or al when you talk about an exact hour or a very precise moment.

• a + la + hora
• a + las + hora plural
• a la / al + momento del día (midnight, dawn, etc.)

Very common patterns

• a las + hour: Llego a las ocho.
• a la + medianoche: Nos vemos a la medianoche.
• al + amanecer / mediodía / final del día: Salgo al amanecer.

Self-check

• Are you giving a clock time? Use a + la / las.
• Are you talking about dawn, noon, end of the day as one point? Use al.

4. de / del + part of the day (describing when)

Use de / del when the part of the day is like a label or extra information, not the main idea.

• de la mañana – in the morning (as extra info)
• de la tarde – in the afternoon
• de la noche – at night
• de noche – at night (in general)
• de día – by day (in general)

Very common combinations

• las tres de la tarde – three in the afternoon
• las once de la mañana – eleven in the morning
• Trabajo de noche. – I work at night.
• Los museos abren de día. – The museums open during the day.

Contraction

• de + el → del: del mediodía, del día

Self-check

• If you say an hour + part of the day, use de / del: a las siete de la tarde.
• If the phrase sounds like “by day / at night” in English, use de día, de noche.

5. Quick overview: which preposition do I need?

6. Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

• Mixing por and en
  Safe choice at A1: use por for usual routines.
  
  • Estudio en la noche → Estudio por la noche.
• Forgetting the article
  In most cases you need la:
  • por mañana → por la mañana
  • en noche → en la noche / por la noche
• Using por instead of a for exact hours
  • por las ocho → a las ocho
• Forgetting the contraction del
  • de el mediodía → del mediodía
  • de el día → del día

7. Step-by-step: choose the preposition

1. Are you saying the exact hour?
   → Use a:
   • a la una, a las cinco
2. No exact hour, but a precise moment like dawn / noon?
   → Use al or a la:
   • al amanecer, al mediodía, a la medianoche
3. Is it a general period (habit), like “in the morning”?
   → Use por:
   • por la mañana, por la tarde, por la noche
4. Is the part of the day only an extra label after the hour?
   → Use de / del:
   • a las ocho de la mañana, a las siete de la tarde
5. Specific block like madrugada?
   → Prefer en:
   • en la madrugada

8. Mini self-test

Cover the answers with your hand and check yourself.

1. I usually go running ___ la mañana.
   → Expected: por la mañana.
2. We have a meeting ___ las tres de la tarde.
   → Expected: a las tres de la tarde.
3. I leave home ___ las seis.
   → Expected: a las seis.
4. I work ___ noche and sleep during the day.
   → Expected: de noche.
5. On Friday I travel to Madrid ___ amanecer.
   → Expected: al amanecer.

If you can explain to yourself why each answer is correct (general period, exact time, label, etc.), you have understood the system.