Diferencia entre in the end y at the end

 At the end (of something)

At the end se suele usar de forma muy literal para decir que es el final de algo (el final de una actuación, de un
período de tiempo, de un objeto…). La estructura de estas frases sería “at the end + OF”

Some examples:

1. At the end of the film I couldn’t help crying.

2. At the end of this street there is a big supermarket.
3. At the end of the book the main character, Lisa, dies.
4. At the end, the film was a bit boring.
5. At the end of 2003 (Al final del 2003).
6. At the end of this section (Al final de esta sección).
7. At the end of our lives (Al final de nuestras vidas).
8. At the end of this paragraph (Al final de este párrafo).
9. At the end of the road (Al final de la carretera/calle).

As you can see, when we use at the end, we have a specific place/time. Sometimes we have the preposition
of to indicate that place/time, but sometimes we don’t, although that place/time is implict, for example:

At the end, the film was boring = at the end of what? Of the film.

Some phrases with at the end:

– at the end of the earth: en los confines de la tierra, en el culo del mundo (colloquial)

– at the end of the day: al terminar el día (he arrived home at the end of the day) and al fin y al cabo (at the
end of the day, there’s nothing we can do)

 In the end = finally (a modo de resumen de una idea)

In the end se suele usar como un idiom que significa “finalmente”, “a la larga”, “al final”. Asimismo,
también podemos usarlo para decir “al fin y al cabo”.

Otro aspecto a recordar es que in the end suele ir seguido de una coma. Vamos a ver algunos ejemplos
del uso de este idiom en inglés.

Examples:

1. In the end 2,000 people attended the conference.

2. In the end I learnt you have to work very hard to be successful.
3. She finished her homework in the end (Al final acabó sus deberes).
4. In the end, things worked out OK for us (Al final las cosas nos salieron bien).

O como decía Oscar Wilde, “Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it’s not fine it’s not the end.”
(“Todo va a estar bien al final. Si no está bien, no es el final”).
In the end = finalmente, al final, en definitiva, a fin de cuentas

The same happens with at the beginning and in the beginning.

1. In the beginning I couldn’t see my friend because there were many people there, but then I saw her.
2. At the beginning of the new year, I will give up smoking, this is my new year’s resolution.

At the end of the day

At the end se utiliza muchas veces como parte del idiom “at the end of the day”. Pero cuidado, porqué este
idiom no se traduce literalmente del español. NO significa “al final del día” sino que el idiom viene a ser
como nuestro “a fin de cuentas”, “en definitiva”, “en resumen”, “al fin y al cabo”. Este significado lo
comparte con la frase in the end (At the end of the day = in the end).

 At the end of the day, it’s his life (Al fin y al cabo, es su vida).

especially adv (exceptionally) excepcionalmente adv

specially adv (for a particular purpose) especialmente adv