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madrugada

early hours

noun mah-droo-GAH-dah Less Common

Also means

dawn

Usage Note

Madrugada refers specifically to the hours after midnight and before dawn — roughly 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. It is not simply 'morning': por la mañana starts at dawn. The verb madrugar means 'to get up early', and madrugador/a is 'an early riser'. The proverb al que madruga, Dios le ayuda ('the early bird catches the worm') uses the related verb.

Examples

"Llegó a casa de madrugada."

Natural Translation

He got home in the early hours.

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