Terms of UseHow to Say Year in Spanish Explore this Article methods 1 Talking about Time 2 Referring to Age 3 Using Related Words Other Sections Related Articles References Article Summary Co-authored by Jennifer Mueller, JD
Last Updated: May 6, 2021 References
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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 15,720 times.
The word for "year" in Spanish is "año," pronounced "AHN-yo." This may be one of the first Spanish words you learn, and it has many different uses. You can use it to talk about time, as well as when you refer to the age of someone or something. The Spanish language also has other words that can be used in different contexts where in English you would simply use the word year. It's good to know these words and phrases as well.[1]XResearch source
Steps
Method 1 Method 1 of 3:
Talking about Time
1 Learn the word "año." The basic word for "year" in Spanish is "año." In most contexts, you can use this word in Spanish just as you would in English and you'll be fine. Even if there's a different phrase, people will still understand what you mean.[2]XResearch source
Año is a masculine noun, so make sure to use the masculine form for any related verbs, prepositions, and adjectives in your sentence. For example, if you want to say "the year 2013," you would say "el año 2013," using the masculine article.
2 Memorize common phrases with the word año. Just as in English, Spanish has a number of phrases that are popularly used when talking about things that happen periodically. Many of these phrases use the word año.[3]XResearch source
For example, if you want to say something happens every year, you would use the phrase "cada año." Note that while in English you might say "each year" or "every year," in Spanish there's only one phrase used interchangeably.
Similarly, the Spanish phrase "este año" can mean "this year" or "all year" (although you can also say "todo el año" for "all year").
There are common phrases for holidays and other special occasions as well. For example, you can say "feliz año nuevo" for "happy new year," or "cumpleaños feliz" for "happy birthday."
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3 Use "años" to talk about longer periods of time. In English, you can talk generally about "years" meaning a relatively undetermined period of time. You probably know other words that refer to long periods of time as well. Similar words exist in Spanish.[4]XResearch source
For example, if you wanted to say that something takes years, you might say "tarda años," which literally means "it takes years." But you could also get more creative and say "tarda eternidad," or "it takes forever."
4 Use siglo to talk about an age or period of time. In English, you may talk about a period of several years using the actual word years or a word such as age. You can do the same thing in Spanish with the word siglo (SEE-glow), which technically means "century" but is also used for indefinitely long periods of time.[5]XResearch source
You also can use this word when you want to say you haven't seen someone in years. While you could say "hace años que no te veo," literally "I haven't seen you for years," using siglos instead of años is also appropriate.
5 Say specific years correctly. When you're talking about a specific date, the words you use in Spanish are a little different than the words you would use in English. If you don't use the right words for a specific year, people won't understand you.[6]XResearch source
For example, think about the year 1986. In English, you would say "nineteen eighty-six." In Spanish you need to include the thousands and hundreds, though, so you would say "mil novecientos ochenta y seis." This literally translates to "one thousand nine hundreds eighty and six."
If you are saying "the year 1986" in Spanish, you would say "el año mil novecientos ochenta y seis."
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:
Referring to Age
1 Use the verb tener with año when talking about your age. The Spanish verb tener means "to have," which can be confusing for English speakers. If you want to tell someone how old you are in Spanish, you say you have a certain number of years.[7]XResearch source
For example, you might say "tengo diez años," which means "I am ten years old." The literal translation is "I have ten years," but when you hear it or see it in writing, remember that in this context the verb tener means "to be" rather than "to have."
Tener is a regular verb and is conjugated using the normal rules for conjugation of Spanish verbs ending in -er.
2 Ask someone how old they are by saying "¿Cuántos años tienes?" Just as you use the verb tener (to have) to say how old you are, use the same verb to ask someone how old they are.[8]XResearch source
The phrase is pronounced "coo-AHN-tohs AHN-yos tee-EHN-ehs." You should think of it as meaning "How old are you?" even though a literal translation would be "How many years do you have?"
3 Learn specific words for age ranges. Just as in English, Spanish has specific words for particular times in your life. You could use a phrase with the word "year," or you could use one of these other words.[9]XResearch source
For example, if you wanted to talk about your early years, or your childhood, you could use the phrase "primeros años" (literally "early years"). You also could say "en mi infancia" or "en mi juventud," phrases which mean more specifically "in my childhood" or "in my youth."
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:
Using Related Words
1 Talk about an academic year with the word curso (COOR-soh). In English, you use the same word to talk about a school year or a 12-month period of time. Spanish has a different word, although in practice the two are used interchangeably.[10]XResearch source
Curso is a masculine noun. It is primarily used to refer to an academic year, but it also can be used as a translation of the English word "course."
For example, you might say "El curso acaba en junio," or "The school year ends in June."
2 Describe an age group using the word generación. The Spanish word generación (hen-er-rahs-ee-OHN) is similar to the English word generation, but sometimes can be used in contexts where you would use the word year in English.[11]XResearch source
Typically generación is used to mean year in an academic setting. It refers to a specific year of students, such as the class of 2017. This group is a "generation" in the sense that you're talking about everyone in that graduating class.
For example, you might say "El príncipe William y yo estuvimos en la misma generación en el Colegio Eton" if you wanted to tell someone "Prince William and I were in the same year at Eton College."
3 Use cosecha or vendimia when talking about wine. If you're a wine enthusiast, you probably hear people talking in English about good years and bad years. In Spanish, rather than using año, you'll more frequently hear these words.[12]XResearch source
Cosecha (coh-SAY-chuh) refers to a harvest generally, but can be used when talking about wine. Vendimia (vin-dim-EE-uh) refers more specifically to a harvest of grapes, so it's a more specific term.
For example, you might say "1994 fue una buena vendimia" or "1994 fue una buena cosecha" to mean "1994 was a good year [for wine]."
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Co-authored by: Jennifer Mueller, JD wikiHow Content Creator This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 15,720 times. 3 votes - 67% Co-authors: 9Updated: May 6, 2021 Views: 15,720Article SummaryX
To say year in Spanish, use the word “año” to say things like “El año 2013” which means “the year 2013.” You should also memorize common phrases, like “cada año,” or “it happens each year,” and “este año,” which translates as “this year” or “all year.” If you want to talk about several years, add an “s” to año, such as “tarda anos,” meaning “it takes years.” Alternatively, if you want to say how old you are, try something like “Tengo diez años,” which means “I am ten years old.” To learn more Spanish phrases, including how to ask someone how old they are, read on!Did this summary help you?YesNo
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Co-authored by: Jennifer Mueller, JD wikiHow Content Creator This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006. This article has been viewed 15,720 times. 3 votes - 67% Co-authors: 9 Updated: May 6, 2021 Views: 15,720 Article SummaryX
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1 Learn the word "año." The basic word for "year" in Spanish is "año." In most contexts, you can use this word in Spanish just as you would in English and you'll be fine. Even if there's a different phrase, people will still understand what you mean.[2] 
2 Memorize common phrases with the word año. Just as in English, Spanish has a number of phrases that are popularly used when talking about things that happen periodically. Many of these phrases use the word año.[3] 
3 Use "años" to talk about longer periods of time. In English, you can talk generally about "years" meaning a relatively undetermined period of time. You probably know other words that refer to long periods of time as well. Similar words exist in Spanish.[4] 
4 Use siglo to talk about an age or period of time. In English, you may talk about a period of several years using the actual word years or a word such as age. You can do the same thing in Spanish with the word siglo (SEE-glow), which technically means "century" but is also used for indefinitely long periods of time.[5] 
5 Say specific years correctly. When you're talking about a specific date, the words you use in Spanish are a little different than the words you would use in English. If you don't use the right words for a specific year, people won't understand you.[6] 
1 Use the verb tener with año when talking about your age. The Spanish verb tener means "to have," which can be confusing for English speakers. If you want to tell someone how old you are in Spanish, you say you have a certain number of years.[7] 
2 Ask someone how old they are by saying "¿Cuántos años tienes?" Just as you use the verb tener (to have) to say how old you are, use the same verb to ask someone how old they are.[8] 
3 Learn specific words for age ranges. Just as in English, Spanish has specific words for particular times in your life. You could use a phrase with the word "year," or you could use one of these other words.[9] 
1 Talk about an academic year with the word curso (COOR-soh). In English, you use the same word to talk about a school year or a 12-month period of time. Spanish has a different word, although in practice the two are used interchangeably.[10] 
2 Describe an age group using the word generación. The Spanish word generación (hen-er-rahs-ee-OHN) is similar to the English word generation, but sometimes can be used in contexts where you would use the word year in English.[11] 
3 Use cosecha or vendimia when talking about wine. If you're a wine enthusiast, you probably hear people talking in English about good years and bad years. In Spanish, rather than using año, you'll more frequently hear these words.[12]