Literal translation
Little now
Natural translation
Soon / in a bit / eventually
What it really means
Famously ambiguous. In Mexico it rarely means ‘right now’ — it can mean anything from ‘in 5 minutes’ to ‘never’. Context and tone are everything.
When Spanish speakers use it
Promises, plans, polite postponement.
Examples in context
- Ahorita voy.I’ll be there in a bit.
- Ahorita lo hago.I’ll get to it (eventually).
Regional differences
- Mexico: Famously vague — almost never literal.
- Caribbean: Closer to ‘right now’.
Natural replies you can use
Ok, te esperoNo hay prisa
Translate a full conversation
Got a Spanish chat using “Ahorita”? Drop it into our AI translator and get the meaning, tone, and a reply you can send back.
Related phrases
Start translating. Start understanding.
- No account required
- 10 free AI translations daily
- Text, image, voice (soon)