anteanoche

Anteanoche is a Spanish time expression that refers to the night before last—the night two days prior to the current day. It is used to situate events in the recent past and typically functions as an adverbial noun or adverb. Examples include “Anteanoche llovió” or “La reunión ocurrió anteanoche.” In more formal writing, speakers often prefer alternatives such as “la noche anterior” or “la noche de anteayer” to avoid potential ambiguity.

Etymology and usage notes: The term is formed from ante- meaning before and anoche meaning last night. It is widely understood across Spanish-speaking regions, but its use is more common in spoken language and informal prose. In very formal contexts, other phrasings are recommended to ensure precision.

Variants and related terms: Some speakers also say “la noche anteayer,” though this phrasing is less common. Distinctions to remember are that “anoche” refers to last night, whereas “anteanoche” refers to the night before last; “anteayer” means the day before yesterday. The latter can be used in broader temporal phrases but does not replace anteanoche when specifically indicating the night two days back.

See also: anoche, anteayer, ayer, noche, tiempo verbal.