En Ese Entonces (Time Related)

“Entonces” isn’t just “so” — it’s also one of the most natural ways to say “then” or “at that time.”

Spanish prefers anchoring stories in the past using demonstrative phrases like “en ese entonces” instead of literal translations like “around the time.”

When English speakers say: “Around the time I moved out…”
Spanish doesn’t translate that literally as: Alrededor del tiempo que me mudé…
That would sound weird.

Instead, Spanish uses demonstrative time phrases, like:

Por esa época → Around that time
En ese entonces → At that time
Más o menos cuando… → Roughly when…

AND Spanish uses words like ese / esa / aquel → “that” instead of “the.”

Spanish has a whole set of natural time phrases that anchor moments clearly, especially in storytelling or explanations.

In Spanish, when you say “around that time”, you don’t say “around the time” like in English — it’s nearly always “that” (ese, esa, aquel, etc.), not “the” (el, la).

En Ese Entonces

10 natural, everyday Spanish sentences using “en ese entonces”, all in a casual, real-life vibe:

En ese entonces no tenía celular.
→ Back then, I didn’t have a phone.
Vivía con mis papás en ese entonces.
→ I was living with my parents at that time.
Éramos muy cercanos en ese entonces.
→ We were really close back then.
En ese entonces, todo era más barato.
→ Things were cheaper back then.
Trabajaba en un café en ese entonces.
→ I was working at a café at the time.
Nos conocimos en ese entonces, ¿te acuerdas?
→ We met around that time, remember?
En ese entonces, no sabía lo que quería.
→ I didn’t know what I wanted back then.
No había internet en ese entonces.
→ There was no internet at that time.
En ese entonces me la pasaba viajando.
→ Back then, I was always traveling.
Estaba muy confundido en ese entonces.
→ I was really confused at the time.

¿Qué hacías entonces?

→ What were you doing then?

This is one of the most common, casual ways to use entonces as a time reference.
It works on its own — no need for en ese entonces.

Spanish often drops extra words when the time reference is already understood from context.

So instead of saying: ¿Qué hacías en ese entonces? (What were you doing at that time?)
It simplifies to: ¿Qué hacías entonces? (What were you doing then?)

Kind of — but they’re usually combinations or set phrases, not new meanings.

Here are a few:

Common expressions:

¿Y entonces qué? → So then what?
(Temporal + causal + emotional reaction)
Desde entonces → Since then
(Not the same as “entonces” alone — this one’s a combo phrase)
Hasta entonces → Until then
Para entonces → By then

These add prepositions to create time-based transitions — super common in stories or explanations.

Both entonces and después can mean “then”, but they’re not interchangeable.

Core difference:

Word	Literal Meaning	Focus	English Feel
entonces	then / at that time	Reference point	“at that moment” / “so” / “by then”
después	after / afterward	Sequence	“after that” / “later” / “next”

Compare in context:

entonces = “then, at that time” (reference point)

Vivía en México en 2015. En ese entonces no hablaba español.
I lived in Mexico in 2015. At that time, I didn’t speak Spanish.

¿Qué hacías entonces?
What were you doing then (at that time)?

después = “after, later” (sequence)

Fui al cine y después cené con mis amigos.
I went to the movies and then had dinner with my friends.

Primero trabajé, después descansé.
First I worked, then I rested.

The key difference:

Use entonces to refer back to a moment.
Use después to show what came next.

You can even use both:

Estaba enfermo. Entonces decidí descansar. Después me sentí mejor.
I was sick. So I decided to rest. Afterward, I felt better.

Most Common in Everyday Conversation

These are time phrases heard all the time in casual, real-life Spanish:

Spanish Phrase	English Equivalent	Vibe / Use
En ese entonces	Back then / At that time	Standard for telling past stories
Durante ese tiempo	During that time	Talking about an ongoing period
En ese momento	At that specific moment	Zooming in on a past event
Más o menos cuando…	Around the time when…	Informal way to estimate time
Por esa época	Around that time / period	Soft, casual time anchor
Ya en ese entonces	Even back then	Reflective, used to show early signs
Ahora mismo	Right now	Very common, immediate

Grouped by Tone / Use

🕰️ Casual / Conversational

Spanish Phrase	English Equivalent	Notes
En ese entonces	Back then	Most natural “back then”
Por esa época	Around that time	Soft, vague past reference
Más o menos cuando	Around the time when…	Flexible and spoken
Durante ese tiempo	During that time	Mid-level formality
Ya en ese entonces	Even back then	Shows something started early
Ahora mismo	Right now	Immediate and casual

🎭 Reflective / Nostalgic / Storytelling

Spanish Phrase	English Equivalent	Notes
En aquellos días	In those days	Slightly poetic / reflective
En aquel entonces	Way back then	More distant in feeling
En aquel tiempo	In those days	Old-school vibe
En mi época	In my day / back in my time	Nostalgic or playful
Por aquel tiempo	Around that time	Less specific than “en aquel entonces”

🎯 Specific or Progress-Based

Spanish Phrase	English Equivalent	Notes
En ese momento	At that moment	Zooms in on a specific action/event
Para ese entonces	By that time	Emphasizes something was already true
A esas alturas	By then / At that stage	Often about mental or emotional progress
En ese tiempo	During that time	General-purpose, often interchangeable with “durante ese tiempo”

💬 Compare:

Spanish	English	Notes
¿Qué hacías entonces?	What were you doing then?	Short, common, very natural
¿Qué hacías en ese entonces?	What were you doing at that time?	Longer, a bit more formal or story-like

Both are good.
But “entonces” alone is snappy and very common in spoken Spanish.

10 English sentences, natural and everyday, using the idea of “en ese entonces” (back then / at that time):

Back then, I didn’t have a phone.
I was living with my parents at that time.
We were really close back then.
Things were cheaper back then.
I was working at a café at the time.
We met around that time, remember?
I didn’t know what I wanted back then.
There was no internet at that time.
Back then, I was always traveling.
I was really confused at the time.