mañana
Mañana (adverb) means Tomorrow, or at some vague point in the future. In English it is used to suggest a task is being put off indefinitely rather than actually scheduled. Example: “Every time I ask about the invoice, it's mañana.”
How to Use Mañana
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTomorrow, in the sense of putting something off.
Informal in English and usually mildly disparaging, since it plays on a stereotype about southern European working habits. In Spanish itself mañana is entirely neutral and simply means tomorrow or morning. Write it with the tilde where possible; manana is the common ASCII spelling.
The ñ is pronounced like the ny in canyon, so the word is man-YAH-na, not ma-NAN-a.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Every time I ask about the invoice, it's _____.
Etymology
From Spanish mañana, meaning both morning and tomorrow, from Latin mane, in the morning.
Synonyms
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Related Words
Rhymes for mañana
See all rhymes for mañana →Frequently Asked Questions
Does mañana mean tomorrow or morning?
In Spanish it means both. La mañana with the article is the morning, while mañana on its own is tomorrow. English has borrowed only the second sense.
Is calling something mañana rude?
It can be. In English the word is nearly always used to mock delay, and applying it to a country or its people leans on a lazy stereotype. Used about yourself or your own workplace it is harmless self-deprecation.