anteayer

Anteayer is a Spanish adverb meaning the day before yesterday. It can also function as a noun phrase, as in “el anteayer,” to refer to that day.

Etymology and form: the word is a compound of ante- “before” and ayer “yesterday,” created to designate the day two days prior to today. It is written as a single word in standard usage and appears in most modern dictionaries.

Usage and variation: anteayer is widely used in everyday speech across many Spanish-speaking regions, particularly in Latin America. In some varieties of Peninsular Spanish, speakers may opt for periphrastic forms such as “hace dos días” or “el día anterior” in more formal contexts; the phrase “antes de ayer” is also heard, though less common. Despite regional variations in style, anteayer remains the conventional one-word form in dictionaries and informal writing.

Related terms and neutral equivalents: “ayer” means yesterday, “hoy” means today, and “anteanoche” denotes the night before last. When a neutral, non-idiomatic expression is preferred, people often use “hace dos días” to convey the same time frame.

Examples: Anteayer llovió por la tarde. El anteayer fue festivo en la ciudad. Hace dos días no llovía tanto como ayer, pero el pronóstico preveía lluvia para mañana.

See also: ayer, hoy, anteanoche, hace dos días.