Use 'Hasta' in Spanish in Place of 'Until'

Common Preposition Used for Measurement, Time and Location

Setting sun in Andalusia, Spain.
Todo estaba bien hasta el sol desapareció. (Everything was fine until the sun set.). Javier Gutierrez Acedo/Flickr

The preposition hasta typically means "up to," "until" or "including" and references similar concepts in matters of time, measurement, location and situation. Hasta is commonly used in expressions or idiomatic phrases.

Hasta Referencing Time

Since hasta means "until," which is a preposition that references a time element, like "up to a certain time," hasta is used. For example, Se suspendió la exportación de carne hasta el dos de septiembre, which translates to, "The export of meat was suspended until September 2."

A common idiomatic phrase, hasta luego, which literally means "until later," is a common way of saying, "See you later."

Hasta Referencing Measurements

When hasta is being used to mean "up to," in many cases, the word is being used to describe measurements. For example, olas de hasta cinco metros, means "waves up to five meters high."

Hasta Referencing Location

Hasta can be used to mean "as far as," which "far" gives an indication of place and location. For example, " Viajó hasta Nueva York," which translates to, "He traveled as far as New York."

A common idiomatic phrase, hasta aquí, means "to this point," another reference to a location or situation.

Hasta Referencing Situation

As a preposition meaning "until," hasta can be used to describe a situation, such as  Todo iba bien hasta que salieron, which translates to, "Everything was going fine until they left."

A common idiomatic expression, hasta no poder más, references a situation, such as "until no more could be done." For an example of a sentence using the popular expression,  Comió hasta no poder más, means, "He ate until he could eat no more."

Common Idiomatic Expressions Using Hasta

Expression Translation Spanish Sentence English Translation
hasta aquí to this point ¿Cómo hemos llegado hasta aquí? How did we get to this point?
hasta aquí until now Hasta aquí creemos que tienes una buena idea. Until now we've believed that you had a good idea.
estar hasta la coronilla (or las narices) had it up to here/sick and tired Estoy hasta la coronilla de la corrupción. I'm fed up to here with the corruption.
hasta después, hasta luego, hasta la vista see you later Fue un placer hablar contigo. ¡Hasta la vista! It was nice talking to you. See you!
hasta entonces see you then Hasta entonces, pues. In that case, see you then.
hasta mañana see you tomorrow Ya me voy. ¡Hasta mañana! I'm leaving. Until tomorrow!
hasta el día del juicio until the very end Allí permanecerán hasta el día de juicio They will stay there until the end.
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Erichsen, Gerald. "Use 'Hasta' in Spanish in Place of 'Until'." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/using-hasta-spanish-3079340. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). Use 'Hasta' in Spanish in Place of 'Until'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/using-hasta-spanish-3079340 Erichsen, Gerald. "Use 'Hasta' in Spanish in Place of 'Until'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/using-hasta-spanish-3079340 (accessed March 28, 2024).