Tiempo/rato/vez

Tiempo/rato/vez

Other ways to translate "time"

Open Ended

¿Qué hora es?

Time

In addition to the word hora, which represents time on a clock, Spanish has several other nouns which can be translated as time.  

Tiempo is time in its most general sense. It represents a space or length of time:

• ¿Tienes tiempo para ir a la biblioteca? 

• Do you have time to go to the library?

Open Ended

Traduce: Do you have time to eat?

Rato is similar to  tiempo in its use, but generally represents a shorter space of time. It is usually translated as a while.

• Descansaba un rato. 

• I was resting for a while.

Open Ended

Traduce: I will return in a while.

Vez is a point of time which is part of a series. The plural is veces.

• Vi la película una vez. I saw the movie one time.

Modismos

• a cada rato

Open Ended

Traduce: I will return in a while.

Modismos

• ¡Por última vez! - For the last time

• A la vez - At the same

• Había una vez - There once was