en aquel momento
adverbCEFR B2
What does “en aquel momento” mean in English?
at that moment, at that point in time
at that moment, at that point in time (en aquel momento — temporal anchor placing the reader inside the past narrative frame)
Example sentences
En aquel momento, nadie podía imaginar que aquella pequeña empresa se convertiría en un referente mundial.
At that moment, no one could imagine that that small company would become a global reference point.
En ese momento preciso, ella tomó la decisión que cambiaría el rumbo de su vida.
At that precise moment, she made the decision that would change the course of her life.
En aquel instante, comprendió por fin lo que había estado intentando decirle durante todo ese tiempo.
In that instant, she finally understood what he had been trying to tell her all that time.
How to use it
En aquel momento and en ese momento are temporal-perspective anchors that place the narrative at a specific past point, often to signal the characters' limited knowledge or to create dramatic irony. En aquel momento (more literary/formal) vs. en ese momento (neutral/spoken). Used at B2 to mark the internal perspective of characters at a narrative turning point: 'en aquel momento, nadie sabía que…'.
Common mistake
En aquel momento is not just a time stamp — it is a perspective signal. When used before statements about knowledge, belief, or expectation, it signals that the statement reflects the characters' limited understanding at that point (not the narrator's omniscient view). Getting this narrative-voice function wrong produces a perspective clash in written narrative.