# BC / BCE, AD / CE (before Christ, before Common Era...)



## Kimberly1603

En español, ¿Qué usa para B.C. (Before Christ), B.C.E (Before Common Era), A.D (anno domini), and C.E (common era) cuando se referiendo a un siglo?

e.j. 16th century B.C. = el siglo dieciseis _____

Gracias,
Kim


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## ILT

*AC* --> Antes de Cristo
*DC* --> Después de Cristo

El siglo XIV AC / El año 324 DC

Saludos


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## diegodbs

Como dice ILT, sólo usamos AC (antes de Cristo) y DC (después de Cristo). Normalmente casi nunca se usa DC, porque consideramos que una fecha sin ninguna indicación (AC, DC) quiere decir siempre DC. Sólo si en un mismo texto o párrafo hay referencias a fechas antes de Cristo, y a fechas después de Cristo, usamos DC para que quede claro.

Si no hay posibilidad de confusión, no utilizamos DC.

Para escribir los siglos: en español usamos números romanos para referirnos a los siglos. No escribimos el siglo 16, sino el siglo XVI.


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## Kimberly1603

Gracias! Aprecio el consejo sobre numeros romanos tambien.

Kim


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## ElColorRojo

¿No se usa <<A.D.>>?
A.D. es latín para <<en el año del Señor>> (An*n*o Domini). No es inglés. Yo pensaría que podría ser lo mismo. Pero, Soy muy mal en el español.
Por favor, me correcta si soy confuso. Muchas gracias por su ayuda,
-Rebekah


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## Soy Yo

Creo que es "anno domini" (con dos "n") [la ñ en español se deriva de la "doble n" en latín.


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## lazarus1907

Es con doble ene, como puso Kimberly1603 al principio.


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## ElColorRojo

Soy Yo said:
			
		

> Creo que es "anno domini" (con dos "n") [la ñ en español se deriva de la "doble n" en latín.



You're right. It's with 2 'n's.
But why does "in the year of our Lord" become "After Christ"? It's obviously not de-Christianizing at all.
Too many interesting cultural differences! 

Gracias,
-Rebekah


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## diegodbs

ElColorRojo said:
			
		

> You're right. It's with 2 'n's.
> But why does "in the year of our Lord" become "After Christ"? It's obviously not de-Christianizing at all.
> Too many interesting cultural differences!
> 
> Gracias,
> -Rebekah


Aunque A.D. sea una expresión latina (anno domini) en español (en España) no la usamos. Siempre decimos "después de Cristo" o, "de nuestra era" aunque esta expresión es un poco más rara.
Tiene lógica decir "después de Cristo". Vivimos en el año 2006 despues de Cristo, es decir, dos mil seis años después de que Cristo naciera.


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## Soy Yo

"Our Lord" es "Jesucristo"... lo que pasa es que en español lo traducen del latín en vez de conservar la expresión en latín.  La referencia a Jesucristo se queda aunque sea más oculta para nosotros en el latín.


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## Soy Yo

diegodbs said:
			
		

> Aunque A.D. sea una expresión latina (anno domini) en español (en España) no la usamos. Siempre decimos "después de Cristo" o, "de nuestra era" aunque esta expresión es un poco más rara.
> Tiene lógica decir "después de Cristo". Vivimos en el año 2006 despues de Cristo, es decir, dos mil seis años después de que Cristo naciera.


 
Sé que ésta es la expresión que se usa...y que se refiere al nacimiento de Jesús y despues. (Pero siempre literalmente interpretaria "después de Cristo como "después de su muerte.) Esto es solo una observacion...no estoy tratando de entrar en discusiones


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## Pamina_Star

The Western calendar (BC, AD) originated in the AD 500s when a monk attempted to count back to what he was sure was the year of Jesus Christ’s birth, which he designated as the year 1.  That made the years 1 through 100 the first century AD (from the Latin _Anno Domine_ meaning “the year of our Lord”), the years 101-200 the second century, the years 1901-2000 the 20th century and the years 2001-2100 the 21st century.  The West designates those centuries before Jesus’ birth as BC (before Christ) and hence 1 to 100 BC is the first century BC, 101-200 is the second century BC, _etc_. 
Non-Western cultures have their own dating systems.  For example, Muslims consider the year 1 what the West designates as AD 622.  Teachers and authors of texts dealing with non-Western and world history frequently use the new designations of CE (Common Era or Christian Era) for AD, and they use BCE (Before the Common Era or Before the Christian Era) for what the West labels as BC.  The BCE use still begins with the supposed year of Jesus’ birth as the dividing point.  Hence, CE 1492 is the same as AD 1492, and 44 BCE is the same as 44 BC.


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## diegodbs

Pamina_Star said:
			
		

> The Western calendar (BC, AD) originated in the AD 500s when a monk attempted to count back to what he was sure was the year of Jesus Christ’s birth, which he designated as the year 1. That made the years 1 through 100 the first century AD (from the Latin _Anno Domine_ meaning “the year of our Lord”), the years 101-200 the second century, the years 1901-2000 the 20th century and the years 2001-2100 the 21st century. The West designates those centuries before Jesus’ birth as BC (before Christ) and hence 1 to 100 BC is the first century BC, 101-200 is the second century BC, _etc_.
> Non-Western cultures have their own dating systems. For example, Muslims consider the year 1 what the West designates as AD 622. Teachers and authors of texts dealing with non-Western and world history frequently use the new designations of CE (Common Era or Christian Era) for AD, and they use BCE (Before the Common Era or Before the Christian Era) for what the West labels as BC. The BCE use still begins with the supposed year of Jesus’ birth as the dividing point. Hence, CE 1492 is the same as AD 1492, and 44 BCE is the same as 44 BC.


I understand what you say, but as the original question was



> En español, ¿Qué usa para B.C. (Before Christ), B.C.E (Before Common Era), A.D (anno domini), and C.E (common era) cuando se referiendo a un siglo?


 
I didn't even mention B.C.E or C.E. since these are not used in Spanish at all.


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## Kimberly1603

Querido El Color Rojo,
Veo que otras personas contestaron su pregunta de A.D., (y doy las gracias a ellos) pero quiero le digo a Ud. que Ud. no "es mal en español". Ud. ha aprendiendo y el hecho que Ud. tiene la motivación y la curiosidad para aprender comunicar muestra que Ud. es un parte excelente del mundo hispánico. 
Paz,
Kim


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## danielfranco

I guess its a big deal, this "politically correct" stuff... B.C.E. and C.E. used just so that the rest of the world who do not have the judeo-christian conviction can understand which year is being discussed... I'd never stopped for a minute to consider that I've haven't heard anyone say it in Spanish: "Antes de la Era Común", "Era Común". Surely it's done, I just haven't witnessed it.
Sorry for the limp digression.
Dan F


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## diegodbs

danielfranco said:
			
		

> I guess its a big deal, this "politically correct" stuff... B.C.E. and C.E. used just so that the rest of the world who do not have the judeo-christian conviction can understand which year is being discussed... I'd never stopped for a minute to consider that I've haven't heard anyone say it in Spanish: "Antes de la Era Común", "Era Común". Surely it's done, I just haven't witnessed it.
> Sorry for the limp digression.
> Dan F


Nunca he leído un libro en español en el que se usen "Antes de la Era Común" o "Era Común".
Si el año 2006 tiene sentido para los países de tradición cristiana, puesto que en los musulmanes cuentan a partir del año 622, los judíos a partir de otro año, los chinos a partir de otro, etc. etc. ¿Para quién es común esa supuesta "Era Común"? Para los países de tradición cristiana solamente, para el resto no es Común (puesto que tienen la suya propia). Gran avance el que se ha conseguido con cambiarle el nombre en inglés.


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## Kimberly1603

I think that the whole B.C.E and C.E. is  just science's world best effort at not involving religion in science, but at the same time making the new "politically correct" system a very easy transfer - the dates are the same, just don't include Christ in the abbreviations. Sure, this still uses the birth of Christ as a reference point, but B.C and A.D have been used for so long that a whole new reference point (first fossil, etc.) would get very confusing. It's kind of a compromise, and I sure can't come up with anything better - sorry to diverge from Spanish


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## Soy Yo

It's not really scientific; it's an example of "political correctness."


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## LadyBlakeney

danielfranco said:
			
		

> I guess its a big deal, this "politically correct" stuff... B.C.E. and C.E. used just so that the rest of the world who do not have the judeo-christian conviction can understand which year is being discussed... I'd never stopped for a minute to consider that I've haven't heard anyone say it in Spanish: "Antes de la Era Común", "Era Común". Surely it's done, I just haven't witnessed it.
> Sorry for the limp digression.
> Dan F



It isn't done at all, Daniel. My house is swarming with History books and magazines in Spanish, and I've only read/heard "A.C" (=antes de Cristo), "D.C." (=después de Cristo) and "de nuestra era" (= de la era cristiana).

I've noticed that many Spanish expressions, which were originally related to religion, are now used by everyone without a real religious intent. Many non-practicents or atheists use "¡Madre mía!" as an interjection but they don't mean to invocate the Virgin. That's how it goes over here, at least.

Saludos.


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## gotitadeleche

Kimberly1603 said:
			
		

> I think that the whole B.C.E and C.E. is  just science's world best effort at not involving religion in science, but at the same time making the new "politically correct" system a very easy transfer - the dates are the same, just don't include Christ in the abbreviations. Sure, this still uses the birth of Christ as a reference point, but B.C and A.D have been used for so long that a whole new reference point (first fossil, etc.) would get very confusing. It's kind of a compromise, and I sure can't come up with anything better - sorry to diverge from Spanish



Perhaps it was an easy transfer for those accostumed to the Western calendar, but it didn't help those who use non-Western calenders (if that was the point).


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## Outsider

ElColorRojo said:
			
		

> ¿No se usa <<A.D.>>?
> A.D. es latín para <<en el año del Señor>> (An*n*o Domini). No es inglés. Yo pensaría que podría ser lo mismo. Pero, Soy muy mal en el español.
> Por favor, me correcta si soy confuso. Muchas gracias por su ayuda,
> -Rebekah


Creo que se usó A.D. (_Anno Domini_, "año del Señor") en español hay muchos siglos. Pero eso fue quando los intelectuales todavía escribían en latín. Cuando empezaron a escribir en español, traducieron la expresión para "Después de Cristo", y hoy toda la gente lo dice así.



			
				Soy Yo said:
			
		

> Sé que ésta es la expresión que se usa...y que se refiere al nacimiento de Jesús y despues. (Pero siempre literalmente interpretaria "después de Cristo como "después de su muerte.) Esto es solo una observacion...no estoy tratando de entrar en discusiones


Pero mire que en inglés se usa también B.C., "before Christ", para el período anterior al inicio de nuestra era. 
Nota: algunos autores dicen que no es en la supuesta data del nacimiento de Cristo que se inicia la era cristiana, sino en la de su incarnación.



			
				danielfranco said:
			
		

> I guess its a big deal, this "politically correct" stuff... B.C.E. and C.E. used just so that the rest of the world who do not have the judeo-christian conviction can understand which year is being discussed...


Es que A.D. y E.C. son la misma cosa, en otras palabras. Si el resto del mundo conoce la primera, también conoce la segunda. Si no conoce la primera, también no conocerá la segunda...


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## nohablo

danielfranco said:


> I guess its a big deal, this "politically correct" stuff... B.C.E. and C.E. used just so that the rest of the world who do not have the judeo-christian conviction can understand which year is being discussed...


I just came to this discussion to find out how to say A.D. and B.C. in Spanish.  I was fascinated by the ensuing discussion   .   However, to speak about "the judeo-christian conviction" is to miss the point of C.E. and B.C.E.  One group who use C.E. and B.C.E. fairly frequently in the United States are Jews, who want to be able to refer to dates without making reference to Christ.  There's nothing _judeo_-christian about this conviction.


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## Fernando

Do the US Jews know that Monday = Moon Day or Tuesday = Zeus Day, etc. and so they are using other (classical) religion-biased feature?


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## altopelirrojo

I know this discussion ended two years ago, but I wish to point something out. In  English language scholarship, B.C.E. and C.E. are often preferred to B.C. and A.D., because the latter terms are problematic for at least two reasons: 1) Both terms refer to Jesus in religious terms, either calling him the Messiah (Christ) or calling him Lord (Domini), and many people who use the western calendar (including Jews) do not agree with these statements. 2) B.C. and A.D. are actually quite inaccurate, since the general consensus of historians is that Jesus was born around 6 B.C.E., and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to say that Jesus Christ was born 6 years before Christ. B.C.E. and C.E. are more inclusive of non-Christians, more accurate, and are still perfectly understandable to anyone accustomed to the western calendar.


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## BocaJuniors

ILT said:


> *AC* --> Antes de Cristo
> *DC* --> Después de Cristo
> 
> El siglo XIV AC / El año 324 DC
> 
> Saludos


 

Esta es la respuesta correcta a la pregunta inicial, punto y aparte.


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## Lende

Como bien decia un post anterior, en castellano existe la expresión "antes de nuestra era". Tambien se utiliza la expresión "en el año X de la era de Nuestro Señor", aunque hasta dónde yo sé sólo es utilizada en textos teológicos - obviamente cristianos. 

Saludos,


Lende


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## ChocolateLover

Hola:

¿Se dice "DC" o "d.c."? (después de Cristo)

Gracias


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## Pinairun

ChocolateLover said:


> Hola:
> 
> ¿Se dice "DC" o "d.c."? (después de Cristo)
> 
> Gracias


 
Estas abreviaturas son las que propone la Academia, en el Apéndice 2 del DPD:

d. C. = después de Cristo (_también_ d. de C.; _cf._ a. C.)

d. de C. = después de Cristo (_también_ d. C.; _cf._ a. de C.)

d. de J. C. = después de Jesucristo (_también_ d. J. C.; _cf._ a. de J. C.)

Saludos


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## ChocolateLover

Muchas gracias

Saludos


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## alegrame

I know I'm resurrecting an old thread, but it seems the most logical place when I was searching for an answer.

I put my BlackBerry in Spanish mode, and the calendar is including "de NI" at the end of dates now (example: "26, Miércoles de mayo de NI"). I'm not certain if the "de NI" relates to AD/CE etc., or something else (daylight savings time (although related threads don't mention "de NI" either)?)

I asked a friend from Spain but he didn't know what it could be.

Really curious, if anyone can shed some light.... ¡Gracias!
Dave


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## Lis48

A topic from 5 years ago but just to add that Spain now seems to have adopted the BCE (Before Common/Current Era)  and CE (Common/Current Era) system for dating. 
I picked up a leaflet in Spanish for a historical site today where dates was given followed by ANE (Ante Nuestra Era) and NE  (Nuestra Era) rather than BC and AD.


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