What does "ahorita" mean to you?

Question

Some people I know say it is the same as "ahora", and some say it is means something like "in a little bit"... for example, if I asked if we could go to the store, they would respond with "ahorita" -- In a little bit.

So, does it depend on your tone / how you use it?

For example,

Ahorita no -- Not right now

Ahorita vengo -- I'll be right back

---

EDIT: The people telling me this are all from Mexico. =)

I'm glad you asked this. I've wondered about it too. - MLucie, Nov 4, 2011

Answer 1

Ahora - ahorita are very curious expressions, because they're absolutely essential in the everyday speech of Latin Americans (I am not sure how it is used in Spain), but they may mean different things in different countries. Plus you have to add the variations...

Where I grew up, "Ahorita" means "right away" or "pretty soon". It can be further emphasized as "ahorita mismo" or "ahoritica mismo", which means "in a little bit", or "in a second".

In that same place, "Ahora" means "in a while", "later", or "yeah, I'll get to it (eventually)".

When I moved to Puerto Rico, I have to go through some difficult adjustments, because there it means completely the opposite. In Puerto Rico "Ahora" means "right now", and "ahorita" is - ..."later".

Great answer, Gek. In Spain it's not used at all - cogumela, Nov 4, 2011

Really? My teacher speaks Puerto Rican Spanish and if she tells you to do something "ahorita" it means it had better be done before you even take your next breath. - bailarina95, Nov 4, 2011

Believe you me. It has taken me a lot of effort to adapt to this. However, if she's a teacher, and she's outside of Puerto Rico, perhaps she is trying to teach you what she has learned is most widely used in the Latin American world. - Gekkosan, Nov 4, 2011

Answer 2

In Bolivia Ahora means "sometime"

and

Ahorita means "sometime soon"

If you are lucky that is. N O W does not seem to exist here

Not that this is relevant to anything, but weren't you going back "home"? - Gekkosan, Nov 4, 2011

gotta love latinos' perspective on "time" :) - sullivanbcsc, Nov 4, 2011

@ Gekko - yes I am end of December. - ian-hill, Nov 4, 2011

@ Sullivan -one gets use to it - and it can be very good for one's well being. - ian-hill, Nov 4, 2011

Answer 3

México

1) Ahora mismo 2) Más tarde 3) Nunca

Ahora mismo:

Llámale ahorita!

Quiero el informe ahorita!

Recoge tu cuarto ahorita!

Ahorita me visto y voy para allá!

Ahoritita acaba de salir!

Ahorita va a llover!

Más tarde:

Ahorita voy.

Un momento, por favor. Ahorita lo atiendo.

No se vaya, ahorita vuelvo.

Ahorita vengo.

Nunca:

Ahorita lo compongo.

Dígale que ahorita voy para allá.

Sí, mamá, ahorita...*

• La mamá contesta: Ahorita es ahorita!

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Good ones... thanks for the examples! - NikkiLR, Nov 7, 2011

I agree with you luis! lol - Rey_Mysterio, Nov 7, 2011

Answer 4

In English, presently has the same "double meaning."

Yeah... but "presently" is much more formal than "ahorita". In informal English, we need to look at something like "innaminet" as a closer equivalent. - Gekkosan, Nov 4, 2011

In South African English they use, now-now; now; and just now which in American English is right now, in a bit, pretty soon. - katydew, Nov 4, 2011

Yes it is too formal, not sure if they even use it in the US. - Deanski, Nov 4, 2011

Hi Danski - yes they do use it in the USA but often they mean "now" (at present) whereas I think it means "soon" - ian-hill, Nov 4, 2011

Answer 5

-ito or –ita are the most common “diminutives” in Spanish. Diminutives represent either small things or affection, or even just gentle tone when speaking. “mi gatito” is”my little cat” or “my loved cat”, or just a cat when you speak to a baby.

They are usually used for substantives (“gatito”) or for adjectives that represent substantives (“negrito”, the little black one, or the loved black one). In the Americas (not in Spain) diminutives are also used (in few occasions) with adverbs, like “ahorita” (from “ahora” now) or “despacito” (from “despacio” slowly or softly). The meaning with adverbs is not so clear and it can change from one country to another; generally (not always) represent just a “soft” or “gentle” way of speaking and it is a familiar speach.

Note that adverbs have not gender so, the gender is "invented", "ahora" is considered femenine (because it finishes in "a") and the diminutive is "ahorita". Despacio is considered masculine (because it finishes in "o") and the diminutive is "despacito"

The Dictionary of the Royal Academy (Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Doubts) says: "ahorita" Diminutive of "ahora" (now), often used in the colloquial speech of wide areas of Americas: «Me encantaría, pero ahorita estoy apuradísimo» ("I would love to, but now I'm in a hurry") (Bayly Daís [Peru 1996]). Even more colloquial is the horita variant: «Horita viene el soplón con gente que te va a botar» ("Now comes the snitch with people who are going to throw" (Paz Huelga [Cuba 1981]). Both forms admit diminutive suffixes: "ahoritita", "ahoritica", "horitita". The spellings without h: "aorita", "orita" are not correct. In Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic there is a distinction between "ahora" ('at this moment') and "ahorita" ('in a while').

Welcome to SpanishDict. - rac1, Jun 8, 2017

Answer 6

your example of going to the store is correct. Thats how many people from where i come from would say it. Ahorita lo hago > I'll do it a little later. Ahorita lo digo > I'm going to tell him a little later. Ahora lo voy a hacer > I'm going to do it now. Ahora lo voy a avisar lo que paso > Im going to let him know what happened now. Voy a sacar una foto al rato (yo ucan also use ahorita in this sentence) > Im going to take a foto in a while.

Answer 7

For me, ¨ahorita¨ means ¨later¨ and ¨ahora¨ means ¨right now¨.

Answer 8

To be more specific... how does it vary in Mexico?

I believe in Mexico it is used as I first described: "ahorita" - right away, "ahora" - later. - Gekkosan, Nov 4, 2011

As Gekkosan says. - LuisCache, Nov 7, 2011

Yes, where I spend time in Mexico (State of Guanajuato) it's as Gekko and Luis say. - Jeremias, Nov 7, 2011