The preposition “a”

This preposition can be used in different cases.

To give the exact time

The preposition “a” must always be used before giving the precise time.

Examples :

• Tengo una cita a las diez de la mañana. (I have an appointment at 10 a.m.).
• Patricia tiene que irse a las 4 de la tarde. (Patricia has to leave at 4pm)

Before a Direct Object Complement

The preposition “a” is also used in front of a person or a personified thing.

Examples :

• Franck quiere a su hermana. (Franck loves his sister).
• Paul invitará a sus amigos para su cumpleaños. (Paul will invite his friends to his birthday party.)

After a verb of movement

The preposition “a” is also placed after a verb of motion.

Examples :

• Voy a la playa. (I’m going to the beach.)
• Fanny regresa a su casa. (Fanny is going home.)

Warning: if the preposition precedes a masculine noun, we do not say “a el” but use the contraction “al”.

Example :

• Vamos al museo. (We are going to the museum.)

The preposition “con”

The preposition “con” means “with” and is generally used in the same way as in English.

Examples :

• Bob está con sus padres. (Bob is with his parents.)
• Fanny maneja con cuidado. (Fanny is driving carefully).
• Quiero venir contigo. (I want to come with you.)

Note :

While in English “with me” and “with you” translate into two words each time, there is really only one word in Spanish.

• Conmigo (with me)
• Contigo (with you)

There are also typical Spanish expressions that should not be translated word for word.

Examples :

• Anteayer soñé contigo. (The day before yesterday I dreamed of you).
• Vincent puede contar con su hermana para ayudarle. (Vincent can count on his sister to help him).

The preposition ‘de’

The preposition ‘de’ is not necessarily used in Spanish. 

– No “de” in Spanish before an infinitive Direct Object Complement

Example :

• Mi sueño es comprar una casa grande con un jardín. (My dream is to buy a big house with a garden).

– No “de” before an infinitive verb that indicates order / advice / prohibition

Example :

• Te aconsejo guardar distancia con los otros. (I advise you to keep your distance from the others).

– No “de” before the verb “be” followed by an adjective, itself followed by an infinitive Direct Object Complement

Example :

• Es increíble ver una persona tan hipócrita. (It’s incredible to see such a hypocritical person).

On the other hand, the preposition “de” can be used to indicate provenance / origin.

Example :

• Soy de Francia. (I am from France.)

It can also be used to indicate belonging / possession.

Examples :

• Carmén es la madre de Paul. (Carmén is Paul’s mother).
• Es el hijo del panadero de la ciudad. (He is the son of the town baker).

“De” can also be used to give an indication of composition or material.

Example :

• Es una mesa de madera. (This is a wooden table).

The preposition “en”

The preposition “en” is used to indicate the place where the action takes place.

Warning: if there is an idea of movement / displacement, the preposition “a” must be used.

Examples :

• Estamos en el museo. (We are in the museum / at the museum).
• Estoy en la tienda. (I am in the store / at the store).
• En 1955, Victor tenia 62 años. (In 1955, Victor was 62 years old.)

Prepositions of place

To express a place, several prepositions can be used. Here are some examples:

Al lado de (next to)
Estoy al lado de un coche. (I am next to a car)

Cerca de (near)
Viven cerca del mar. (They live near the sea)

Lejos de (far from)
No quiero vivir lejor de ti. (I don’t want to live far from you)

A la derecha / a la izquierda (to the right / to the left)
Pablo siempre se sienta a la derecha de su amigo Silvio. (Pablo always sits to the right of his friend Silvio.)

Enfrente de (facing)
Enfrente del parque, hay la escuela. (Facing the park, there is the school.)

Debajo (under)
Debajo de la mesa, encontrarás mi bolsa. (Under the table, you will find my bag.)

Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time are used to place an action in time.

De…a (from…to)
De miércoles a viernes (from Wednesday to Friday)
De 4 a 6 (from 4 to 6)

Después de (after)
Si quieres ver el bebé, hay que regresar después de su siesta. (If you want to see the baby, you have to come back after his nap)

Durante (during)
Durante las vacaciones, Valerie no hace nada, ni siquiera sus deberes. (During the vacations, Valerie doesn’t do anything, not even her homework).

Desde (since / from)
Están casados desde 1990. (They have been married since 1990)

Desde hace (since a period that is not completed)
Trabaja en esa empresa desde hace 5 años. (He or she has been working at this company for 5 years)

Dentro de (after a period of)
Paula puede obtener su diploma dentro de 3 años. (Paula can graduate after a period of 3 years (in 3 years).

Antes de (before)
Antes de Navidad, no hay nieve aqui. (Before Christmas, there is no snow here.)

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Demonstrative pronouns

👉 Previous lesson: Ordinal numbers and calculations

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Ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th

1st : Primero
2nd : Segundo
3rd : Tercero
4th : Cuarto
5th : Quinto
6th : Sexto
7th : Séptimo
8th : Octavo
9th : Noveno
10th : Decimo

Examples :

• El lunes es el primero día de la semana. (Monday is the first day of the week).
• Es el noveno vuelo humanitario desde Francia. (It is the 9th humanitarian flight from France).

Ordinal numbers from the 11th to the 100th

11th : undécimo
12th : duodécimo
13th : decimotercero
14th : decimocuarto
15th : decimoquinto
16th : decimosexto
17th : decimoséptimo
18th : decimoctavo
19th : decimonoveno

20th : vigésimo
21th : vigésimo primero
22th : vigesimo segundo
23th : vigésimo tercero
24th : vigésimo cuarto
25th : vigésimo quinto

30th : trigésimo
40th : cuadragésimo
50th : quincuagésimo
60th : sexagésimo
70th : septuagésimo
80th : octogésimo
90th : nonagésimo
100th : centésimo

Examples :

• Lana celebra su centésimo aniversario el 18 de julio. (Lana celebrates her 100th birthday on July 18)
• Es la vigésimo tercera conferencia. (This is the 23rd conference.)

Spanish Calculations

Let’s see how to perform simple mathematical operations in Spanish.

Addition

To add in Spanish, we use “más” (plus).

4+4 = 8
cuatro más cuatro son ocho (four plus four is eight)

1+0 = 1
uno más cero es uno (one plus zero is one)

Subtraction

To make a subtraction, we use “menos” (minus).

10-6 = 4
diez menos seis son cuatro (ten minus six is four)

9-8 = 1
nueve menos ocho es uno (nine minus eight is one)

Multiplication

To multiply, we use “por” (multiplied by).

3×2 = 6
tres por dos son seis (three multiplied by two makes six)

9×5 = 45
nueve por cinco son cuaranta y cinco (nine multiplied by five makes forty-five)

Division

To divide, we use “entre” (divided by).

6/2 = 3
seis entre dos son tres (six divided by two makes three)

5/5 = 1
cinco entre cinco es uno (five divided by five is one)

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Prepositions

👉 Previous lesson: Cardinal numbers

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Diphthongation is very common in Spanish. It concerns mainly verbs, but also nouns, adjectives and adverbs. It consists in replacing the tonic vowel of a word by a double vowel pronounced in the same syllable.

Spanish diphthongation

Before tackling verb diphthongation (the most difficult part…), let’s see how other words behave when they diphthongate: nouns, adjectives and adverbs.

Nouns

Many Spanish nouns whose root vowel on the penultimate syllable under the tonic accent was originally e or o have undergone diphthongation, and are now written with ie and ue :

• puerta, sueldo, fuerza, cuerda, recuerdo
  door, salary (pay), strength, rope, memory (record);
• hierba (ou yerba), hierro, infierno, tierra
  grass, iron, hell, earth.

Adjectives and adverbs

This transformation is found in some adjectives and adverbs:

• caliente, bueno, fuerte, fuertemente, cierto, ciertamente
  hot, good, strong, strongly, true (certain), certainly.​

Diphthong and hiatus

Both are very common in Spanish, and easy to distinguish: the hiatus adds a syllable to the word, as in the following examples, while the diphthong does not:

• parque (2 syllables : par-que) –> parquear (3 syllables : par-que-ar)
  park                 to park ;

• aire (2 syllables : ai-re) –> aéreo (4 syllables : a-é-re-o)
  air              airborne

Diphthong verbs

What is a diphthong verb in Spanish? In the present indicative, but also in the subjunctive and imperative, some Spanish verbs diphthong when the vowel of the stem on the penultimate syllable is e or o. This results in ie and ue under the tonic accent.

• Entender: entiendo, entiendes, entiende, entendemos, entendéis, entienden.
  Understand: I understand, you understand, he understands, we understand, you understand, they understand.
• Poder: puedo, puedes, puede, podemos, podéis, pueden.
  Can: I can, you can, he can, we can, you can, they can.

Diphthongation is frequent, but not systematic, many verbs do not diphthongate, as in the following examples.

• Comer: como, comes, come…
  To eat: I eat, you eat, he eats…
• Aportar: aporto, aportas aporta…
  To contribute: I contribute, you contribute, he contributes…
• Rezar: rezo, rezas, reza…
  To pray: I pray, you pray, he prays…

Unfortunately, there is nothing to distinguish them a priori. Only by learning and practicing can you know if a verb has a diphthong or not.

A single verb in u diphthong. Since it is very common, it is useful and easy to remember.

• Jugar: juego, juegues, juegue, jugamos, jugáis, jueguan.
  To play: I play, you play, he plays, we play, you play, they play.

Verbs that diphthongize do so in the present tense of all modes (indicative, subjunctive and imperative), according to the same phonetic and orthographic transformation.

Subjunctive tense

• Que entienda, que entiendas, que entienda, que entiendan.
  That I understand, that you understand, that he understands, that they understand.
• Te lo digo para que te acuerdes.
  I’m telling you so that you remember.

Imperative

• Aprieta, apriete, aprieten, apriétalo.
  Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze it.
• ¡Entiéndeme bien!
  Understand me well!

Irregular verbs in with an ending in go in the first person singular do not diphthong in that person.

• Venir: vengo, vienes…
  To come: I come, you come…
• Tener: tengo, tienes…
  Have: I have, you have…

Spelling changes imposed by diphthonging verbs

When the root of a verb begins with the vowel that diphthongs, it undergoes a spelling change.

• Oler: huelo, hueles, huele, olemos, oléis, huelen, que no huelan.
  To smell: I smell, you smell, he smells, we smell, you smell, they smell, they do not smell.
• Errar: yerro, yerras, yerra, erramos, erráis, yerran, ¡no yerres!
  To make a mistake: I make a mistake, you make a mistake, he makes a mistake, we make a mistake, you make a mistake, they make a mistake, don’t make a mistake!

Several pronunciations and spellings are sometimes allowed.

• Erguir: yergo/irgo, yergues/irgues, yergue/irgue, yerguen/irguen.
  Erect: I erect, you erect, they erect.

If the consonant preceding the o that undergoes diphthongation is a g, an umlaut specifies that the following u must be pronounced. Otherwise, it would be silent, as in guerra.

• Degollar: degüello, degüellas, no lo degüelles, que no lo degüellen.
  To slaughter: I slaughter, you slaughter, do not slaughter, let them not slaughter.
• Regoldar: regüeldo, regüeldas, que no regüelden, ¡no regüeldes!
  To burp: I burp, you burp, don’t burp, don’t burp!
• Avergonzarse: me avergüenzo, te avergüenzas, que se avergüence, avergüéncense.
  To be ashamed: I am ashamed, you are ashamed, let him be ashamed, be ashamed.​

Verbs and other related words

The link between the diphthongation of a verb and that of other words built on the same root is not systematic, as the examples below show.

• Arrendar: arriendo; el arriendo.
  To rent: I rent; the rent.
• Encontrar: encuentro; un encuentro.
  To meet: I meet; a meeting.
• Calentar: caliento; caliente.
  To heat: I heat; hot.

• Costar: cuesto; el costo.
  To cost: I cost; the cost.
• Ascender: asciendo; el ascenso.
  To ascend: I ascend; the ascent; the promotion.

• Portar: porto; el puerto, la puerta.
  To carry: I carry; the port (harbour), the door.

Here again, only learning and use will help you find your way around.

Diphthongation is therefore very common in Spanish. It can be confusing at the beginning of the learning process, but it is not so difficult to master, because it almost always follows the same rules. 

The most important thing is to know when it occurs, without making mistakes. With practice, it becomes automatic and you don’t think about it anymore.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Diphtongs and spelling changes

👉 Previous lesson: Adverbs of time

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I. Spelling changes in nouns, adjectives or adverbs

Some words also undergo transformations, especially when diminutives or superlatives are added.

Examples :

Mosca (Fly) ==> Mosquito (Mosquito)
Rico (Rich) ==> Riquísimo (Very rich)
Cerca (Close) ==> Cerquita (Very close)
Amigo (Friend) ==> Amiguito (Boyfriend)

II. Spelling changes in diphthongs

* Some verbs diphthong at the first vowel. The diphthongs -ie and -ue at the beginning of the word become -ye and -hue respectively

Example :

ERGUIRSE (Straighten up) ==> Me yergo, OLER (Smell) ==> Huelo

* Many verbs have their root modified (a diphthong appears) when they are conjugated.

– For some of them, the -e of the stem becomes -ie as with the verbs MANIFESTAR, CONFESAR, SENTAR, etc.

Example :

CERRAR (Close) ==> Cierro (1st person Ind. Present)
ENTENDER (Understand) ==> Entiendo (1st person Ind. Present)
PODER (Can) ==> Puedo (1st person Ind. Present)

– For some, the -o of the radical becomes -ue (e.g: ALMORZAR, CONTAR, PROBAR, etc.)

Example :

DOLER (To have pain) ==> Duelo (1st person Ind. Present)
PODER (Can) ==> Puedo (1st person Ind. Present)

– There is only one verb in -u that diphthongs: the verb JUGAR ==> Juego (Ind.Present)

* With nouns, two spellings are possible:

Examples :

La hierba ==> La yerba ==> The grass.
La hierda ==> La Yedra ==> The ivy.

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Cardinal numbers

👉 Previous lesson: Diphthongs and spelling changes on consonants and vowels

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Adverbs of time in Spanish are used to position an action/event in temporal space.

Ahora (now):
Ahora estoy escribiendo una postal para mi abuelo. (I am now writing a postcard for my grandfather.)
Ahora es hora de dormir. (Now it’s time to sleep.)

Ayer (yesterday):
Ayer, Cristiano se cayó de su bicicleta. (Yesterday Cristiano fell off his bike.)

Anoche (last night):
Anoche, se le hinchó el tobillo. (Last night, his ankle swelled up.)

Anteayer (day before yesterday):
Anteayer, Valentina no tenía nada. Hoy es rica. (The day before yesterday, Valentina had nothing. Today she is rich.)

Anteanoche (night before last):
Anteanoche, ella se enteró de que había ganado la lotería. (The night before last, she realized that she had won the lottery).

Mañana (tomorrow):
Mañana, Paul nadará en la piscina. (Tomorrow, Paul will swim in the pool.)

Mañana por la mañana (tomorrow morning):
Mañana por la mañana, Ana tiene que ir en el banco. (Tomorrow morning, Ana must go to the bank.)

Mañana por la noche (tomorrow night):
Mañana por la noche, Victor y Carol irán al restaurante. (Tomorrow night, Victor and Carol will go to the restaurant.)

De mañana por la noche (early morning):
Hector recoge setas de mañana por la noche. (Hector picks mushrooms early in the morning.)

Temprano (early):
El futuro pertenece a los que se levantan temprano. (The future belongs to those who get up early.)

Antaño (long ago, in the past, in years past):
Antaño, la televisión no existía. (In the past, television did not exist.)

Antes (before):
Antes, ella era rubia. Ahora es castaña. (Before, she was blonde. Now she is brown.)

Hoy (en) día (nowadays):
Hoy en día, casi todo el mundo tiene una laptop. (Nowadays, almost everyone has a laptop.)

Después (then / after):
Se siente mejor después de dormir. (He feels better after sleeping.)

Luego (then / later):
Luego, Dan se dio cuenta de que había perdido su billetera. (Later, Dan realized that he had lost his wallet.)

Enseguida / ahora mismo (right away):
Necesito una persona para ayudarme enseguida. (I need someone to help me right away.)

Desde ahora (from now on):
Desde ahora, es prohibido fumar dentro de un edificio. (From now on, smoking is not allowed inside a building.)

Por ahora (for now):
Por ahora, no es necesario. (For now, it is not necessary.)

A mediodía (at noon):
A mediodía, Charlotte y David van a comer juntos. (At noon, Charlotte and David will eat together.)

A medianoche (at midnight):
A medianoche, esa tienda está cerrada. (At midnight, this store is closed.)

De madrugada (at dawn):
Raul sale de madrugada para poder ver faisanes. (Raul goes out at dawn to see the pheasants.)

Ya (already / now):
Ya sabe leer y escribir. (He already knows how to read and write.)

Día siguiente (next day):
El día siguiente, Lana se fue al colegio. (The next day, Lana went to school.)

Siempre (always):
Siempre quiere comer helados. (He or she always wants to eat ice cream.)

Rápidamente (quickly):
Es una emergencia. Tengo que ir al hospital rápidamente. (It’s an emergency. I have to go to the hospital quickly.)

Pronto (soon / quickly):
Te prometo que iremos pronto al cine. (I promise you that we will go to the cinema soon.)

Pasado mañana (tomorrow morning):
Pasado mañana, iremos a comprar un nuevo teléfono móvil. (Tomorrow morning, we will go to buy a new cell phone.)

Todavía, aún (again):
Todavía están en el parque (They are still (still) in the park.)

Nunca (never):
Nunca te olvidaré. (I will never forget you.)

De hoy en adelante (from now on):
De hoy en adelante, nadie puede entrar en un avión sin pasar el control de seguridad (From now on, no one can enter an airplane without passing the security checkpoint.)

Entretanto (in the meantime):
Entretanto, la demanda ha aumentado y los precios también. (In the meantime, demand has increased and so have the prices).

Mientras tanto (meanwhile):
Barbara está occupada con una cliente. Mientras tanto, un hombre, bien escondido, trata de robar una bolsa de compras ya pagada. (Barbara is busy with a client. Meanwhile, a man, well hidden, is trying to steal a shopping bag that has already been paid for).

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Diphthongs and spelling changes on consonants and vowels

👉 Previous lesson: Adverbs of quantity

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In Spanish, there are different adverbs to express a quantity. They allow you to give more precision to the sentence.

Menos (less / less of):
Hoy he comprado menos manzanas. (Today I bought fewer apples.)
Aquí es menos caro. (Here it’s cheaper.)
El viento sopla menos fuerte. (The wind is blowing less strongly.)

Más (more / more):
Diego corre más rápido. (Diego runs faster.)
El bebé debería comer más verduras. (The baby should eat more vegetables.)
Un bolígrafo es más útil para escribir que una regla. (A pen is more useful for writing than a ruler.)

Muy (very):
El curso de inglés es muy interesante. (The English course is very interesting.)
Este insecto es muy pequeño. (This insect is very small.)
Estoy muy agradecido por todo lo que tengo. (I am very grateful for everything I have.)

Mucho (much):
Ese documental me interesa mucho. (This documentary interests me a lot.)
Me gusta mucho. (I like it a lot.)
Llueve mucho hoy. (It is raining a lot today.)

Poco (little / few):
Trabajan con poco margen de error. (They work with little margin for error.)
Hay poca gente en parques en invierno. (There are few people in the parks in winter.)
Martin bebe poca agua. (Martin drinks little water.)

Nada (nothing):
No quiere saber nada. (He or she does not want to know anything.)
No hay nada concreto. (There is nothing concrete.)
Hay que venir pronto, si no ya no queda nada. (You have to come early, otherwise there is nothing left.)

Bastante (enough):
Es bastante preocupante. (It is quite worrying.)
Representa una disminución bastante importante. (This represents a fairly significant decrease.)
Es un cambio bastante grande. (This is a fairly large change.)

Demasiado (too much):
Es demasiado caro. (It is too expensive.)
El tiempo pasa demasiado rápido en vacaciones. (Time passes too quickly on vacation.)
Ahora es demasiado tarde. (Now it’s too late.)

Algo (a little / enough):
Carolina está algo occupada y no podrá venir con nosotros. (Carolina is a bit busy and won’t be able to come with us.)

Absolutamente (absolutely):
Estoy absolutamente de acuerdo contigo. (I agree totally with you.)
Beber agua es absolutamente necesario. (Drinking water is absolutely necessary.)
Ella está absolutamente en contra. (She is absolutely against it.)

Infinitamente (infinitely):
Quisiera agradecer infinitamente a Georges. (I would like to thank George infinitely.)
Ese nuevo producto es infinitamente más barato que todos los productos equivalentes en el mercado (This new product is infinitely cheaper than all the equivalent products on the market.)

Extremadamente (extremely):
La tormenta es extremadamente violenta. (The storm is extremely violent.)
Es extremadamente frustrante. (It is extremely frustrating.)

Tanto (so much / so much / so much):
Antes no apreciaba tanto a Maria. (Before, I didn’t appreciate Maria so much.)
No puedo comer tanto pan. (I can’t eat so much bread.)
Hay tantas cosas que no conocemos en el mundo. (There are so many things we don’t know in the world.)

Apenas (barely):
Apenas puede caminar. = No puede caminar apenas. (He can hardly walk.)
Apenas cuesta 10 euros. = Cuesta 10 euros apenas. (It barely costs 10 euros.)
Apenas saben leer y escribir. (They can barely read and write.)

Casi (almost):
Es casi la hora de dormir. (It is almost time to sleep.)
Ya tiene casi un millón de seguidores en las redes sociales (He or she already has almost a million people following him or her on social networks.)
Casi la mitad de los alumnos vienen de la zona rural. (Almost half of the students come from the rural area.)

Como (about / about):
Hay como cinco o seis niños en esta casa. (There are about five or six children in this house.)
Cuesta como 150 euros. (It costs about 150 euros.)

Medio (half/half):
Silvia estaba medio dormida. (Silvia was half asleep.)
Paul prefiere ver el vaso medio lleno. (Paul prefers to see the vase half full.)

👉 Practice now!

👉 Next lesson: Adverbs of time

👉 Previous lesson: Adverbs of manners

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Adverbs of manner make it possible to describe an action a little better. This makes the sentence more precise and clear.

Adverbs of manner – Classic construction

Adverbs of manner can end in -mente. To build the adverb, it’s usually enough to take the adjective corresponding to the feminine and add the suffix -mente. This is only valid if the masculine adjective ends in o and the feminine adjective ends in a.

Correcta + mente = correctamente (correctly):
Después de la operación de cadera, le enseñaremos a moverse correctamente. (After the hip operation, we will teach you to move correctly.)

Cómoda + mente = cómodamente (comfortably) :
Está cómodamente sentado en su sillón. (He is sitting comfortably in his chair.)

Ciega + mente = ciegamente (blindly):
La ama ciegamente. (He loves her blindly).

Diaria + mente = diariamente (daily):
Pablo controla su diabetes diariamente. (Pablo controls his diabetes daily.)

Diestra + mente = diestramente (skillfully / dexterously):
El cirujano la operó diestramente. (The surgeon operated on her with skill.)

Lastimosa + mente = lastimosamente (sadly):
Lastimosamente se registraron tres fallecimientos. (Unfortunately, three deaths were registered.)

Escasa + mente = escasamente (occasionally):
El cielo estará escasamente nublado. (The sky will occasionally be cloudy.)

If the adjective is invariable (= identical in the feminine and masculine), the adverb of manner is formed by simply adding the suffix -mente.

Libre + mente = libremente (freely) :
Las cabras se mueven libremente en el parque. (The goats move freely in the park.)

Probable + mente = probablemente (probably):
Molly y Frederic viven probablemente cerca del mar. (Molly and Frederic probably live near the sea.)

Total + mente = totalmente (totally):
Estoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo. (I totally agree with you.)

Torpe + mente = torpemente (clumsily):
Victoria intentó de disimular torpemente la realidad. (Victoria clumsily tried to conceal reality.)

Other adverbs of manner

Below you will also find other adverbs of manner that do not end in -mente.

Así (like this / so) :
Es así. (That’s how it is.)

Bien (well):
No está bien afeitado. (He is not well shaved.)

Mal (bad):
Lo siento, he mal entendido la pregunta. (Sorry, I misunderstood the question.)

Despacio (slowly):
El caracol se mueve despacio. (The snail moves slowly.)

Pronto (quickly / in a short time):
Victor llega pronto. (Victor arrives in a short time.)

Apenas (barely):
Se puede hacer ese pastel con apenas cuatro ingredientes. (This cake can be made with just four ingredients.)

Casi (almost):
La vacuna contra el virus X está casi lista. (The vaccine against virus X is almost ready.)

Adverbial phrases

In addition, there are also adverbial phrases to express the way in which an action takes place.

Boca abajo (on the stomach):
Dormir boca abajo es peligroso para un bebé. (Sleeping on your stomach is dangerous for a baby.)

Boca arriba (on your back):
El perro de Miguel duerme boca arriba. (Miguel’s dog sleeps on his back.)

A gatas (on all fours):
Es más fácil para un bebé ponerse a gatas que caminar sobre sus dos piernas. (It is easier for a baby to get on all fours than to walk on two legs.)

A ciegas (blindly):
Sin los ojos, se avanza a ciegas. (Without eyes, one advances blindly.)

De prisa (in a hurry / quickly):
Silvia se fue de prisa al hospital. (Silvia went to the hospital quickly.)

De broma (to laugh):
Lo digo de broma. (I say it as a joke.)

Adrede (on purpose):
No lo ha hecho adrede. (He or she didn’t do it on purpose.)

De antemano (in advance):
Nada está ganado de antemano. (Nothing is won in advance.)

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👉 Previous lesson: Adverbs of place

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Adverbs of place give an indication of the place where the action takes place.

aquí / acá (here):
Aquí (acá), hay muchas tiendas de ropa. (Here, there are many clothing stores.)

Note: “acá” has the same meaning as “aquí” but is used more in Latin America.

ahí (there):
Ahí puedes ver el zoo. (There you can see the zoo.)

allí / allá (there):
Allí (allá) es la estación de autobuses. (Over there is the bus station.)

Note: “allá” has the same meaning as “allí” but is used more in Latin America.

abajo (below / down):
Símbolo de la suerte, la herradura de caballo se coloca hacia abajo. (Symbol of good luck, the horseshoe is positioned downwards).

debajo (underneath):
El gato está debajo de la mesa (The cat is under (below) the table.)

encima (above):
La taza de cafe está encima de la mesa (The coffee cup is above (on) the table.)

arriba (up / up there):
La mira de arriba abajo. (He looks at it from above.)
Se esperan temperaturas por arriba de los 30 grados para este lunes. (Temperatures above 30 degrees are expected for this Monday.)
Más arriba en el cielo, se puede ver una estrella. (Higher in the sky, you can see a star.)

atrás (backwards):
No hay que mirar atrás en la vida. (You should not look back in life.)
No vamos a dar un paso atrás. (We are not going to go backwards.)
El ruido viene de atrás. (The noise comes from behind.)

detrás (behind):
La casa está detrás de la montaña. (The house is located behind the mountain.)
El apellido se pone detrás del nombre. (The family name is placed after the first name.)

adelante (forward):
¡ Adelante! (Forward!)
Hay que seguir adelante. (You have to go forward.)
Juan camina hacia adelante. (Juan walks forward.)

delante (in front):
El perro espera delante de la casa. (The dog is waiting in front of the house.)

enfrente (in front):
Enfrente de la escuela hay una panadería. (In front of the school there is a bakery.)

al lado (next door):
Juan está al lado de Pablo. (Juan is next to Pablo.)

cerca (near):
Cerca del mar, se puede ver pescadores. (Near the sea, you can see fishermen.)
No hay nadie cerca de nuestra casa. (There is no one near our house.)
Si quieres visitar algo interesante, deberías ir cerca del museo. (If you want to visit something interesting, you should go near the museum.)

lejos (far):
La casa de Miguel no está tan lejos. (Miguel’s house is not so far away.)
La enfermedad está muy lejos de ser vencida. (The disease is far from being defeated.)
Estámos lejos de la ciudad. (We are far from the city)

dentro (inside):
Veronica estaba dentro de la casa. (Veronica was inside the house.)

adentro (inside / inside):
Nos fuimos adentro. (We went inside.)

Note: “adentro” has the same meaning as “dentro” but is used with a verb of movement.

fuera (outside / out of a place) :
Estaba fuera del edificio. (He or she was outside the building.)

afuera (outside / outside):
Vengo de afuera. (I am coming from outside.)
Me voy afuera. (I am going outside.)

Note: “afuera” has the same meaning as “fuera” but is used with a verb of movement.

alrededor (around):
Hay una pista para bicicletas alrededor del lago. (There is a bicycle path around the lake.)

en algún lugar / en algúna parte (somewhere):
En algún lugar hay un testigo del accidente. (There is a witness to the accident somewhere.)
El bebé ha perdido su osito de peluche. Está en algún lugar de su habitación. (The baby has lost his teddy bear. He is somewhere in his room.)

en cualquier lugar (anywhere) :
El teletrabajo permite trabajar en cualquier lugar. (Telecommuting allows you to work from anywhere.)

por todas partes (everywhere):
Se puede encontrar belleza en todas partes. (Beauty can be found everywhere.)

por ninguna parte / en ningún lado (nowhere):
Este libro no está disponible en ningún lado. (This book is not available anywhere.)
No hay flores en ninguna parte. (There are no flowers anywhere.)

por aqui cerca (near here):
Por aqui cerca, una fábrica produce jabón ecológico. (Near here, a factory produces ecological soap.)

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👉 Next lesson: Adverbs of manners

👉 Previous lesson: Adverbs of affirmation, negation and doubt

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Here you will learn the main spanish adverbs that can be used in the case of an affirmation, a negation or a doubt.

Adverbs of affirmation

Si (yes) :
“¿ Estás cansado ?
– Si, me levanté pronto para ir a trabajar.”
(“Are you tired?
– Yes, I got up early to go to work.”)

De verdad (really) :
“Maria está esperando gemelos.
– ¿ De verdad ?”
(“Maria is expecting twins.
– Really?”)

Por supuesto (of course) :
“¿ Clara vendrá con su marido y sus hijos ?
– Por supuesto.”
(“Clara will come with her husband and children?
– Of course.”)

Claro que si (of course / Certainly! / By all means!) :
“¿ Fanny ha aprobado su examen ?
– Claro que si.”
(“Did Fanny pass her exam?
– Of course she did.”)

Seguro (for sure) :
“Nunca acceptará viajar sin su perro.
– Es seguro.”
(“She will never agree to travel without her dog.
– That’s for sure.”)

También (too) :
“Voy a hacer deporte este fin de semana.
– Yo también.”
(“I’m going to go work out this weekend.
– Me too.”

Bueno (fine / okay) :
“No me parece buena idea que salgas ahora.
– Te prometo que seré prudente.
– Bueno…”
(“You going out now doesn’t seem like a good idea.
– I promise I’ll be careful.
– Well, okay…”)

Claro (Exactly! Right! Of course!) :
“Ese hombre debería cuidar más a sus animales. No parecen estar sanos.
– Claro.”
(“This man should take better care of his animals. They don’t look healthy.
– Exactly.”)

Verdaderamente (truly) :
“La realidad es verdaderamente preocupante.” (“The reality is truly concerning.”)

Adverbs of negation

No (no) :
“Debes hacer tus deberes.
– No, no tengo ganas mamá.
– No me importa que no tengas ganas. Debes hacerlos.”
(“You have to do your homework.
– No, I don’t want to, Mom.
– It doesn’t matter if you don’t feel like it. You have to do it.”)

En absoluto (not at all) :
“¿ Te gusta esta canción ?
– No… en absoluto.”
(Do you like this song?
– No…not at all.”)

Nunca (never) :
“¿ Ya has jugado fútbol ?
– Nunca.”
(“Have you ever played soccer?
– Never.”)

Note: “Nunca” is used when an action has never happened but could happen in the future.

Jamás (never) :
“¡ Vas a poder bailar el flamenco con tus amigas !
– ¡ Jamás !”
(“You will be able to dance flamenco with your friends!
– Never!”)

Note: “Jamás” is used when an action has never happened and will never happen.

Tampoco (neither) :
“Yo no sé que hacer en este caso.
– Yo tampoco”.
(“I don’t know what to do in this case.
– Neither do I.”)

Adverbs of doubt

Quizá(s)/ tal vez / acaso (maybe) :
These forms are used with the subjunctive.

“Quizás venga.” (“Maybe it will come.”)
“Acaso esté cansado” (“Maybe he’s tired.”)

Note: these three adverbs can also be used to express a lighter doubt. In this case, we use the indicative.

“Quizás tienen razón.” (“They may be right” (in the sense of “They are surely right” since the doubt is very slight).

Probablemente (probably) :
“Probablemente nunca has visto de verdad un oso.” (“You’ve probably never seen a real bear.”)

Posiblemente (maybe / possibly) :
“El contacto, y posiblemente el aire, serían las vías de transmisión de ese virus.” (Touch, and perhaps air, would be the routes of transmission for this virus.”)

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👉 Next lesson: Adverbs of place

👉 Previous lesson: Qualifying adjectives