instancia

instance

noun een-STAN-syah Less Common

Origin: From Latin instantia (urgency, presence), from instare (to press upon).

Also means

authority

Usage Note

Instancia has a legal and administrative meaning as a formal petition or stage of a judicial process (en primera instancia, 'in the first instance'). It also means a level of authority or jurisdiction (instancias superiores, higher authorities). In computing it shares the English tech sense of 'instance' (an instance of a program). The phrase a instancias de means 'at the urging of.' Feminine noun; plural instancias.

Examples

"El caso se resolverá en primera instancia."

Natural Translation

The case will be resolved at first instance.

Free starter pack

Building your Spanish vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore Spanish by topic

SpanishNow

Ser vs. Estar: When to Use Each in Spanish

Ser vs estar made simple: how you feel and where you are use estar, everything else uses ser. Master the rule, the exceptions, and the traps that flip meaning.

June 3, 2026 6 min read

SpanishNow

Spanish Diminutives: What -ito and -ita Really Mean

Spanish diminutives rarely mean 'little.' Learn what -ito and -ita really signal — warmth, softening, downplaying — plus the -cito and -ecito formation rules.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

SpanishNow

Preterite vs. Imperfect: Spanish Past Tense Made Easy

Preterite vs. imperfect: use the preterite for finished events, the imperfect for ongoing scenery. A trigger-word cheat sheet, flowchart, and examples.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

SpanishNow

How to Tell Time in Spanish: A Beginner's Guide

Tell time in Spanish with one formula: es la una vs son las, y and menos for minutes, plus de la mañana, en punto, and 24-hour station times.

June 9, 2026 5 min read