Significado
To express urgency, indicating that something should happen quickly.
Contexto cultural
In Spain, 'cuanto antes' is often used with a directness that might seem blunt to some, but it's actually a sign of efficiency and trust. In Mexico, you might hear 'lo más pronto posible' as a very common alternative, though 'cuanto antes' is perfectly understood and used in professional settings. Argentines often use 'cuanto antes' in political and social discourse to demand immediate action from authorities. In the global Spanish business world, 'cuanto antes' is the standard for email sign-offs when a reply is needed urgently.
The 'Mejor' Combo
Pair it with 'mejor' to sound like a native: 'Cuanto antes, mejor' (The sooner, the better).
Subjunctive Alert
If you add a verb after it to say 'as soon as I [verb]', use the subjunctive: 'cuanto antes pueda', not 'cuanto antes puedo'.
Significado
To express urgency, indicating that something should happen quickly.
The 'Mejor' Combo
Pair it with 'mejor' to sound like a native: 'Cuanto antes, mejor' (The sooner, the better).
Subjunctive Alert
If you add a verb after it to say 'as soon as I [verb]', use the subjunctive: 'cuanto antes pueda', not 'cuanto antes puedo'.
Polite Pressure
Use it in emails to show urgency without being rude. It's much softer than '¡Hazlo ya!'
Interchangeability
Don't stress between 'cuanto antes' and 'lo antes posible'. They are 99% interchangeable.
Teste-se
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb 'poder' in the subjunctive.
Por favor, envíame el documento cuanto antes _________.
After 'cuanto antes', we use the subjunctive 'puedas' because the action is in the future and hasn't happened yet.
Which of these is the most natural way to say 'The sooner, the better'?
Selecciona la opción correcta:
'Cuanto antes, mejor' is a fixed idiomatic structure in Spanish.
Complete the dialogue with the most appropriate phrase.
Cliente: Mi lavadora no funciona. Técnico: No se preocupe, iré a su casa _________.
In a service context, 'cuanto antes' is the standard way to promise a quick response.
Match the phrase to the correct level of formality.
A la mayor brevedad posible
'A la mayor brevedad' is used in legal or very formal business contexts.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Recursos visuais
Banco de exercicios
4 exerciciosPor favor, envíame el documento cuanto antes _________.
After 'cuanto antes', we use the subjunctive 'puedas' because the action is in the future and hasn't happened yet.
Selecciona la opción correcta:
'Cuanto antes, mejor' is a fixed idiomatic structure in Spanish.
Cliente: Mi lavadora no funciona. Técnico: No se preocupe, iré a su casa _________.
In a service context, 'cuanto antes' is the standard way to promise a quick response.
A la mayor brevedad posible
'A la mayor brevedad' is used in legal or very formal business contexts.
🎉 Pontuação: /4
Perguntas frequentes
10 perguntasNo, ambos son de nivel neutral. 'Cuanto antes' es un poco más corto y elegante, pero se usan igual.
No, eso se considera incorrecto. Siempre di 'cuanto antes'.
Cuando te refieres a una acción futura que aún no ha pasado, por ejemplo: 'cuanto antes vengas'.
Sí, por ejemplo: '¿Podrías venir cuanto antes?'
Sí, es una frase universal que entenderán en cualquier lugar.
No tiene una abreviatura estándar como ASAP, pero a veces la gente escribe 'lo antes posible' como 'LAP' (aunque es raro).
Sí, por ejemplo: 'Lo hice cuanto antes pude' (I did it as soon as I could).
'En cuanto' significa 'as soon as' y siempre necesita un verbo después. 'Cuanto antes' puede ir solo.
No, si lo usas con 'por favor' y un tono amable, es perfectamente profesional.
No, lo correcto es 'lo antes posible' o 'lo más pronto posible'.
Frases relacionadas
Lo antes posible
synonymAs soon as possible
Tan pronto como
similarAs soon as
De inmediato
synonymImmediately
A la mayor brevedad
specialized formWith the greatest brevity
Ya mismo
similarRight now
