What does rato in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word rato in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use rato in Spanish.

The word rato in Spanish means a while, a little while, often, in a while, occasionally, sometimes, in a while, it's been a while, for a while, for quite a while, more than enough, a good time, free time, have a lot to talk about, have a lot of energy, be full of energy, have a long life ahead of you, have enough of for a long time. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word rato

a while, a little while

nombre masculino (espacio corto de tiempo)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
He estado un rato esperándote; ¿dónde estabas?. Cuando tengas un rato libre, escucha esta canción: la compuse para ti.
ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Have a look at this interesting article when you get a spare moment.

often

locución adverbial (con frecuencia)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
A cada rato me encuentro con mi vecina en el supermercado.
I often bump into my neighbor in the supermarket.

in a while

locución adverbial (luego)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Nos vemos al rato.
See you in a while.

occasionally, sometimes

locución adverbial (de vez en cuando)

(adverb: Describes a verb, adjective, adverb, or clause--for example, "come quickly," "very rare," "happening now," "fall down.")
Me gusta salir a correr de rato en rato.
I like to go running occasionally.

in a while

locución adverbial (en breve)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Ahora quiero dormir y en un rato comienzo a estudiar.
I want to sleep now. I will start studying in a while.

it's been a while

(recientemente)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Hace rato que no voy al cine.
It's been a while since I've been to the cinema.

for a while, for quite a while

locución adverbial (por mucho tiempo)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Nos quedaremos tarde trabajando, aún tenemos para rato.

more than enough

locución adverbial (MX, coloquial (en gran cantidad)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Hay materia prima para rato, podremos cumplir con todos los pedidos.

a good time

(pasarlo bien)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En las vacaciones, pasarás muchos ratos divertidos con tus amigos.
During vacation, you will have a good time with your friends.

free time

(momento sin ocupación)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Iré a tu casa cuando tenga un rato libre.
I will go to your house when I have spare time.

have a lot to talk about

locución verbal (coloquial (ser locuaz)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Se quedaron charlando hasta tarde, tenían cuerda para rato.
They were up til late chatting because they had a lot to talk about.

have a lot of energy, be full of energy

locución verbal (coloquial (mucha energía)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Los niños no quieren irse a dormir, tienen cuerda para rato.
The children don't want to go to sleep, they're full of energy.

have a long life ahead of you

locución verbal (coloquial (mucha vida por delante)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Soy vieja pero aún tengo cuerda para rato.
I'm old but I still have a long life ahead of me.

have enough of for a long time

locución verbal (coloquial (durar mucho tiempo)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Aún no he terminado con la limpieza, tengo para rato.
I haven't finished with the cleaning yet; I have enough of it for a long time.

Let's learn Spanish

So now that you know more about the meaning of rato in Spanish, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in Spanish.

Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.