ahora
now
A word built around the present moment
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
a
at
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hora
hour
Ahora means now and literally comes from the idea of at0 this hour1, which is another way of saying "now."
ahora
now, at the moment, currently
At this hour — now, at the present moment.
- Ahora estoy ocupado = I'm busy right now
- Ahora trabajo desde casa = I'm currently working from home
just now, a moment ago (recent past)
"Now" can refer to the very recent past, something that happened moments ago. "Now" isn't a precise instant — it's a fuzzy window, so something that happened moments ago still feels like now.
- Ahora me lo dijeron = They told me just now
in a moment, soon (near future)
"Now" can refer to the near future, something that is about to happen. "Now" isn't a precise instant — it's a fuzzy window, so something that is about to happen still feels like now.
- Ahora te explico = I'll explain in a moment
ahora mismo
right now, this very instant
Mismo is usually translated as "itself" and it marks identity: that something is that very thing and no other. Adding it to ahora means "now itself" — this exact moment, not a moment before or after.
- Hazlo ahora mismo = Do it right now
por ahora
for now, for the time being
Por can mean "through," so por ahora is literally "throughout this hour." Because you're only passing through the current moment, it implies something is true for now but may change.
- Por ahora, todo está bien = For now, everything is fine
ahora bien
now then, however, that said
Bien means "well," so ahora bien literally reads "now, well..." — like saying "okay, that's all well and good, but..."
- El plan es bueno. Ahora bien, necesitamos más recursos = The plan is good. That said, we need more resources.