If you think that “time” is “tiempo”, take a deep breath. When you study a new language, you enter a new world: it’s not about translating word by word, it’s about changing your mindset or rewiring your brain. Ready for this topic? Here we go.
If I say “I don’t have time”, I say “no tengo tiempo”. But take a look at these other phrases:
What’s the weather like? ¿Qué tiempo hace?
We have to study the verbal tenses. Tenemos que estudiar los tiempos verbales.
What time is it? ¿Qué hora es?
I have done this many times. He hecho esto muchas veces.
As you see, “time” is not always “tiempo”. We will study today a very useful word, “vez”. When we want to say “once, two times, three times”, in Spanish we say “una vez, dos veces, tres veces”. I will teach you all the forms in which you can use this word, with examples:
Una vez (once): “Una vez por semana, voy a practicar tenis”. I go to practise tennis once a week.
Dos veces, tres veces, etc. (twice, three times, etc.): “Dos o tres veces por semana, corro en el parque”. Two or three times a week, I run in the park.
Muchas veces (many times): “Muchas veces veo a mi amiga por la tarde”. I see my friend many times in the afternoon.
A veces, algunas veces (sometimes): “A veces estudiamos juntas”. Sometimes, we study together.
De vez en cuando (from time to time): “De vez en cuando hablamos en español”. From time to time, we speak Spanish.
Rara vez (hardly ever): “Rara vez vamos al cine”. We hardly ever go to the cinema.
Cada vez que (each time, every time, whenever): “Cada vez que ella viene a casa, comemos pizza”. Each time she comes to my house, we eat pizza.
Otra vez/de nuevo/una vez más (once again/one more time): “Ella vendrá otra vez el viernes”. She will come once again on Friday.
Una y otra vez (over and over): “Repasamos una y otra vez los temas del examen”. We revised the topics for the exam over and over.
A la vez/al mismo tiempo (at the same time). “Leemos y escribimos a la vez”. We read and write at the same time. Do not mix up this with “a la misma hora”, which means “at the same hour”: “Tengo mi clase de español todos los lunes a la misma hora”. I have my Spanish lesson every Monday at the same hour.
Un par de veces (a couple of times): “Un par de veces a la semana practico guitarra”. I practise guitar a couple of times per week.
La mayoría de las veces (most of the time): “La mayoría de las veces, aprendo una nueva canción”. Most of the time, I learn a new song.
La próxima vez (next time): “La próxima vez practicaré escalas”. Next time, I will practise scales.
La primera vez (the first time): “Es la primera vez que escucho esta canción”. It’s the first time that I’ve heard this song.
Por última vez (for the last time): “Toqué la guitarra por última vez el domingo pasado”. I played the guitar for the last time last Sunday.
De una vez/de una vez por todas (once and for all): “Quiero tocar bien de una vez por todas”. I want to play well once and for all.
Tal vez/quizás o quizá (maybe, perhaps): “Tal vez debería conseguir un buen profesor”. Maybe I should get a good teacher.
Cada vez mayor-más (greater and greater): “La complejidad teórica es cada vez mayor”. The theoretical complexity is increasing. “La teoría es cada vez más compleja”. The theory is becoming more complex.
Cada vez menor-menos (less and less or fewer and fewer): “La clase de matemáticas es cada vez menos interesante”. Math class is becoming less and less interesting. “El número de estudiantes con buenos resultados es cada vez menor”. The number of students with good results is decreasing.
En vez de/en lugar de (instead of): “En vez de matemáticas, preferiría estudiar biología”. Instead of mathematics, I would prefer to study biology.
Hacer las veces de (to act as): “Deberé hacer las veces de moderadora en la charla sobre ciencias”. I should act as a moderator in the science speech.
Last but not least, be careful with the form “ves”, which comes from the verb “ver”, meaning “to see”. “Tú ves el perro” means “you see the dog”.
Now that you know the theory, it’s time to practise. To do that, take the first two forms, use them many times talking and writing, and when you feel confident, continue with two more, until you cover the whole topic. Remember that it takes time to study a new language, but you can do it in digestible chunks.
