Subordinating Phrases of Time

Spanish has numerous phrases in everyday use that are used in telling when events take place.

The phrases that are the focus of this lesson can be thought of a type of subordinating conjunction, although they are made up of more than one word. Like other subordinating conjunctions, they connect two clauses. (A clause is kind of like a short sentence, with a subject and a verb, although in Spanish the subject doesn't not have to be explicitly stated.)

An example should make this clear. A common phrase of this type is a la vez que, which typically is translated as "at the same time as." Here is how it might be used in a sentence:

Usted puede descargar vídeos a la vez que los ve. (You can download videos at the same time that you see them.)

In this sentence, the first clause (also known as the main clause) is "Usted puede descargar vídeos" and the second clause (the dependent clause) is "los ve," which has an implied subject of usted. The phrase a la vez que joins the two clauses into a single sentence.

Following are some other common subordinating phrases of time. Note that in each of the sample sentences, a sentence structure of a main clause, followed by the subordinating phrase and then the dependent clause is used (but see the note below).

• a partir del momento en que (from the moment that) — La revolución cesa a partir del momento en que hay que sacrificarse por ella. The revolution ceases from the moment in which is is necessary to sacrifice oneself for it. (Note that similar phrases, such as a partir del año en que, can also be used.)
• a poco de que (shortly after) — Aparecieron las primeras imágenes a poco de que se encendió la computadora. The first images appeared a little bit after the computer was turned on.
• antes de que (before) — Las negociaciones no terminarán antes de que el presidente salga de la Casa Blanca. The negotiations will not end before the president leaves the White House. (Antes de que is followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.)
• cada vez que (each time, whenever) — ¿Por qué obtengo dolores de cabeza cada vez que estudio? Why do I get headaches every time I study?
• después de que (after) — Dos personas resultan ilesas después de que su coche cayera al río. Two people were unhurt after their car fell in the river. (It is not unusual for this phrase to be followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood even when speaking of factual events.)
• en tanto que (as long as) — Hay miles de desplazados en tanto que el conflicto se intensifica. There will be thousands of refugees as long as the conflict intensifies.
• hasta que (until) — De aquí no sale nadie hasta que llegue la banda. Nobody is leaving here until the band arrives.
• mientras que (while, as long as) — ¿Sabías que los felices leen, mientras que los infelices ven televisión? Did you know that happy people read, while the unhappy watch television?
• siempre que (whenever, as long as) — Podemos vernos siempre que quieras. We can see each other whenever you want.
• tan pronto como (as soon as) — Llegaron tan pronto como se abrieron las puertas. They arrived as soon as the doors were opened.

Note: In most if not all the cases above, the clauses in the sentence can be reversed, although the conjunction still precedes the depending clause. In the instance of "a poco de que," for example, the sentence also could have been written this way: A poco de que se encendió la computadora, aparecieron las primeras imágenes. The examples above have all been written with the main clause first to help students more easily understand the concept.

It is common for many of these phrases to be followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.