el plazo
nounCEFR B2
What does “el plazo” mean in English?
deadline, time limit
deadline, time limit (the time allowed for a task, payment, or action; el plazo de entrega/pago)
Example sentences
El plazo de entrega establecido en el contrato es de treinta días naturales a partir de la fecha de firma.
The delivery deadline established in the contract is thirty calendar days from the date of signature.
Si presentamos la solicitud fuera de plazo, perderemos el derecho a participar en la licitación.
If we submit the application past the deadline, we will lose the right to participate in the tender.
Le informamos de que puede realizar el pago en un plazo de diez días hábiles desde la recepción de la factura.
We inform you that payment can be made within ten working days of receipt of the invoice.
How to use it
El plazo means 'deadline', 'time limit', or 'instalment period' — a multipurpose workplace and financial noun. Key collocations: dentro del plazo (within the deadline), fuera de plazo (past the deadline), cumplir el plazo (to meet the deadline), incumplir el plazo (to miss the deadline), el plazo de entrega (delivery deadline), el plazo de pago (payment term), en un plazo de + duration (within a period of). Register: neutral to formal — used across all workplace registers.
Common mistake
El plazo vs. la fecha límite: el plazo is the broader concept (time allowed / deadline as a period); la fecha límite is the specific cut-off date. In practice, both are used interchangeably in speech, but plazo is more common in formal/contractual Spanish. Also: 'payment instalment' in a loan context is also el plazo (la hipoteca se paga en plazos mensualmente = the mortgage is paid in monthly instalments). Context distinguishes.