Catalan divides time according to the relation being expressed: a locates a point, en measures the time needed for completion, des de marks a starting boundary, durant opens a span, fins (a) closes it, cap a makes a point approximate, and d'aquí a measures forward from now. English at, on, in, for, since, until, and by are not a reliable one-to-one guide.
Dates also reveal an important difference from English: Catalan often uses the definite article without any preposition—el 25 de setembre. Choosing well therefore sometimes means choosing no preposition at all.
Decision table
| Time relation | Catalan pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| exact or conventional time point | a | a les nou; al vespre |
| calendar date | article, no preposition | el 25 de setembre |
| time taken to complete something | en | en dues hores |
| festival/seasonal occasion or approximate period | per | per Nadal; per aquestes dates |
| range or characteristic time | de... a; de | de dilluns a divendres; de nit |
| starting boundary | des de | des de dimarts |
| occupied span | durant or bare duration | durant tres mesos |
| ending boundary | fins (a) | fins demà; fins a les sis |
| approximate point | cap a | cap a les deu |
| interval from now to a future point | d'aquí a | d'aquí a una setmana |
| deadline | per / per a | per (a) divendres |
A for clock times and conventional periods
Use a for the time at which an event happens: a la una, a les dues, a un quart de nou, a migdia, a mitjanit. With masculine articles it contracts to al/als: al matí, al vespre, als anys noranta.
La reunió comença a les nou en punt, però obriran la sala un quart abans.
The meeting starts at nine sharp, but they'll open the room fifteen minutes earlier.
Ens truquem al vespre, quan els nens ja dormin?
Shall we call each other in the evening, when the children are already asleep?
In much Central Catalan, the traditional quarter system counts toward the coming hour: un quart de nou is 8:15, dos quarts de nou is 8:30, and tres quarts de nou is 8:45. The additive system—les vuit i quart, les vuit i mitja—is also widely understood and is especially usual (regional: Valencian). See dates and time for the complete clock system.
For days and full dates, use the article without a:
El curs començarà el 5 d'octubre i s'acabarà al juny.
The course will begin on October 5 and end in June.
English requires on before the date; Catalan does not. Months and seasons commonly take locative a with the article—al gener, a l'estiu, a la primavera—though bare calendar headings and appositions follow their own conventions.
En: time used to complete an event
Temporal en + duration presents the duration as the time an event takes from start to completion. It does not merely say that an activity continued throughout that period.
La Júlia ha resolt el problema en deu minuts.
Júlia solved the problem in ten minutes.
Podem arribar a Girona en menys d'una hora si no hi ha trànsit.
We can get to Girona in under an hour if there is no traffic.
Compare the minimal pair:
Va escriure l'informe en dues hores.
She wrote the report in two hours; it was completed within that time.
Va escriure durant dues hores.
She wrote for two hours; completion is not asserted.
En can also introduce a temporal infinitive meaning “on/when doing,” especially (regional: Valencian): En arribar, avisa'm “When you arrive, let me know.” This is a finite-time relation in meaning, not the completion-duration use above. In broadly neutral prose, Quan arribis or En arribar can be chosen according to regional model and style.
Per, deadlines, and parts of the calendar
Per is natural with festive occasions and approximate recurring periods: per Nadal, per Pasqua, per Sant Joan, per aquestes dates. It locates an event around the named occasion rather than at one exact instant.
Per Nadal solem reunir-nos a casa de l'àvia, però enguany serem fora.
At Christmas we usually get together at Grandma's, but this year we'll be away.
Do not copy Spanish por la mañana mechanically. Neutral Catalan normally says al matí, a la tarda, al vespre, a la nit. De matí is also established, especially (regional: Valencian/Balearic) and in particular expressions.
For a deadline, contemporary standard usage admits per divendres and per a divendres. Central usage often prefers the shorter form; Valencian robustly preserves per a. The deadline means “ready by/for Friday,” not an activity lasting throughout Friday.
Necessitem el pressupost definitiu per a dijous al migdia.
We need the final budget by Thursday at noon. (full-distinction pattern)
For the broader regional system, see per versus per a.
De and des de: ranges and starting boundaries
Use de... a... for a paired range: de dilluns a divendres, de nou a cinc, del 2018 al 2022. The two endpoints form one construction. De also appears in established expressions such as de dia, de nit, de matinada, de jove.
La biblioteca obre de dilluns a dissabte, de nou del matí a vuit del vespre.
The library opens Monday through Saturday, from nine in the morning until eight in the evening.
Des de singles out the starting boundary and often combines with a state that continues afterward. Before masculine articles: des del/des dels.
Vivim en aquest barri des del 2019 i no tenim cap intenció de marxar-ne.
We've lived in this neighborhood since 2019 and have no intention of leaving it.
T'espero des de les vuit; com a mínim, avisa'm si fas tard.
I've been waiting for you since eight; at least let me know if you're running late.
To measure backward from the present, use des de fa + duration: Treballa aquí des de fa sis mesos. English chooses a perfect construction with for; Catalan commonly uses the present tense because the state remains true now. De versus des de treats the contrast in detail.
Durant and bare durations
Durant makes the span an explicit frame. With many activity verbs, a bare duration is equally natural: Va esperar dues hores and Va esperar durant dues hores. The preposition is helpful when the phrase is fronted, contrasted, or structurally complex.
Durant les tres setmanes que van durar les obres, vam treballar des de casa.
During the three weeks the construction work lasted, we worked from home.
Avoid per + duration merely because English says for. Ens hi quedarem tres dies or durant tres dies is neutral; per tres dies may be interpreted through a different construction or sound like interference. Duration and deadline are different: durant tres dies occupies the span; per (a) divendres sets an endpoint.
Fins (a): the closing boundary
Use fins a before many noun phrases: fins a les sis, fins al maig, fins a la setmana vinent. Before certain temporal adverbs, days used without an article, and clauses, a is absent: fins demà, fins dilluns, fins llavors, fins que arribis.
Em quedaré al despatx fins a les set, però demà només treballaré fins al migdia.
I'll stay at the office until seven, but tomorrow I'll only work until noon.
No publiquis les dades fins que l'equip jurídic les hagi revisades.
Don't publish the data until the legal team has reviewed it.
The subjunctive hagi revisades follows because the review is a future condition, not an asserted completed fact. The preposition does not itself select mood; the finite conjunction fins que and the time reference do. Negation matters: No obrirem fins dilluns normally means the opening will not happen before Monday, not that the shop remains open continuously up to Monday.
Cap a and d'aquí a: approximation versus distance from now
Cap a weakens precision: cap a les cinc means “around five.” Before the masculine article it contracts: cap al migdia. Before deictic adverbs, use cap aquí/cap allà, without a, although those are usually spatial.
Arribarem cap a dos quarts de vuit, si el tren va a l'hora.
We'll arrive at around half past seven, if the train is on time.
D'aquí a + duration measures the interval from the moment of speaking to a future point. It answers “how long from now?”, not “how long will it last?”
D'aquí a quinze minuts tanquen les portes; val més que entrem ara.
The doors close in fifteen minutes; we'd better go in now.
Compare La sessió començarà d'aquí a una hora (one hour from now) with La sessió durarà una hora (its duration is one hour) and Enllestirem la sessió en una hora (we will need one hour to complete it). English can use in an hour for the first and third relations; Catalan can make the intended measurement explicit.
A natural dialogue
—Quan necessites la traducció? —Per a dilluns al matí. —No la puc acabar avui, però d'aquí a dos dies en tindràs una primera versió. —Perfecte; la revisaré durant el cap de setmana.
—When do you need the translation? —By Monday morning. —I can't finish it today, but two days from now you'll have a first version. —Perfect; I'll review it over the weekend.
The deadline uses per a, the part of day uses al, the future interval uses d'aquí a, and the occupied reviewing span uses durant.
Common Mistakes
❌ La visita és en les deu del matí.
Incorrect—an exact clock time takes a.
✅ La visita és a les deu del matí.
The appointment is at ten in the morning.
❌ Ens veurem al 25 de setembre.
Incorrect—a full calendar date normally takes the article without a preposition.
✅ Ens veurem el 25 de setembre.
We'll see each other on September 25.
❌ La Mariona viu a Brussel·les per cinc anys seguits.
Incorrect for a state continuing from the past—use des de fa.
✅ La Mariona viu a Brussel·les des de fa cinc anys.
Mariona has lived in Brussels for five years.
❌ Vam enllestir l'informe durant dues hores.
Incorrect if the intended meaning is the time required for completion.
✅ Vam enllestir l'informe en dues hores.
We completed the report in two hours.
❌ La botiga no obrirà fins a que arribi l'encarregada.
Incorrect—before a finite clause use fins que, without a.
✅ La botiga no obrirà fins que arribi l'encarregada.
The shop won't open until the manager arrives.
Short correction task
Correct the temporal phrases: La reunió és en les sis; hi treballa per tres mesos (and still works there); tornarem dins dues hores when the meaning is exactly two hours from now. The answers are a les sis, hi treballa des de fa tres mesos, and tornarem d'aquí a dues hores.
Key Takeaways
- Use a for clock times and many conventional periods, but the article alone for full dates.
- En + duration measures completion; durant or a bare duration measures an occupied span.
- Des de opens a time range and fins (a) closes it.
- Cap a is approximate; d'aquí a measures forward from now.
- Deadline per/per a varies by regional standard, while festive per and phrases such as al matí follow their own established patterns.
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Start learning Catalan →Related Topics
- The Preposition AA1 — Use Catalan a for destinations, many locations, recipients, clock time, manner, and selected complements, with the contractions al and als.
- Per versus Per AA2 — Choose per for cause, route, means, exchange, and agents, and per a for destination, intended recipients, intended use, deadlines, and explicit purpose.
- De, Des De, and D’ençà DeA2 — Distinguish general origin and source with de, an explicit spatial or temporal starting point with des de, and a past onset whose effects continue with d’ençà de.
- Fins versus Fins AA2 — Use fins or fins a for spatial, temporal, and quantitative endpoints by checking the form the endpoint expression would have on its own.
- Distance and Duration ComplementsA2 — Express how far, how long, how long ago, and since when with bare measure phrases, durant, fa, des de fa, and de… a…
- Dates, Years, and Clock TimeA1 — State Catalan dates, years, and clock times with day-first order, correct articles, and regional hour systems.