How do you say “Burn the midnight oil” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Trabajar hasta las tantas, which literally means “To work until the so many”. English speakers use burn the midnight oil to mean to stay awake working or studying late into the night. Informal wording for working very late, especially familiar in Spain. Use estudiar instead of trabajar for studying; “trabajar hasta muy tarde” is a neutral alternative. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Trabajar hasta las tantas
/tɾaβaˈxaɾ ˈasta las ˈtantas/
- Literal meaning
- “To work until the so many”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English lights an old oil lamp. Spanish leaves the late hour vague with “las tantas”.
Both suggest a long night, but the Spanish wording does not itself praise dedication. It can sound more like a complaint about the hours.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Trasnochar trabajando
Literally: “To stay up late working”
Makes clear that the late night is spent working.
Quedarse hasta tarde estudiando
Literally: “To stay until late studying”
A direct option for exam preparation.
Common translation traps
Quemar el aceite de medianoche
The oil-lamp image is not the usual Spanish expression for working late.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
I burned the midnight oil to finish the report.
Spanish
Trabajé hasta las tantas para terminar el informe.
English
She has been burning the midnight oil all week.
Spanish
Lleva toda la semana trabajando hasta las tantas.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13