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Positional Words in Spanish (pt. 2) – Lesson 60
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(Lesson summary)
Positional words part 2: fuera de, entre, alrededor de, a través de, cerca de, lejos de, and the 4 ways to say here and there.
- Outside, between, around, through
- Near and far
- Here: aquí and acá
- There: ahí, allí and allá
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(The full lesson)
Positional words in Spanish: part 2
In part 1 we learned 9 positional words, like encima de, dentro de and delante de. Quick refresher: positional words tell you where something or someone is. Today we finish the topic with 6 more, plus the different ways to say here and there.
Fuera de: outside (of)
Están jugando fuera de casa. They’re playing outside the house.
The opposite of dentro de (inside). In Latin America you’ll also hear afuera de. And notice: Spanish says fuera de casa, without la, when it’s your own home.
Entre: between
El libro está entre los dos estantes. The book is between the two shelves.
Entre is special: it’s used without de. So entre los dos, never entre de los dos.
Alrededor de: around
Hay un jardín alrededor de la casa. There’s a garden around the house.
A tricky one to pronounce: “al-re-de-DOR”. Practice it a few times!
A través de: through
Miro a través de la ventana. I look through the window.
Miro is “I look”, from mirar (remember ¡mira! from lesson 52?).
Cerca de and lejos de: near and far
Ella está cerca de la tienda. She’s close to the store.
Él está lejos de la tienda. He’s far from the store.
Two opposites. And on their own, without de, they mean “nearby” and “far away”: ¿Está cerca? (Is it near?) No, está lejos. (No, it’s far.)
Here: aquí and acá
Mi boli está aquí. My pen is here.
Mi lapicera está acá. My pen is here.
Both mean “here”. Aquí is used everywhere and is the most common in Spain, acá is very common in Latin America. Boli is short for bolígrafo (Spain), and lapicera is the Argentinian word, as we saw in lesson 30.
There: ahí, allí and allá
In English, “there” is just “there”. In Spanish, it depends on how far away something is, just like with este, ese and aquel:
| Spanish | Distance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ahí | close, within sight | Mi teléfono está ahí. (My phone is there.) |
| allí | a bit further away | Mi coche está allí. (My car is over there.) |
| allá | far away | Mis padres viven allá. (My parents live over there.) |
Honestly, ahí and allí are very close, both in meaning and in sound. Which one people use depends a lot on the country, and in fast speech you’ll barely hear the difference. Allá is for things that are really far: another city, another country.
(Wes’s tip)
Pronunciation: ahí = “a-EE” (the h is silent). Allí = “a-YEE” and allá = “a-YA”, because the double l sounds like a y.
Recap: positional words (part 2)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| fuera de | outside (of) |
| entre | between |
| alrededor de | around |
| a través de | through |
| cerca de | close to / near |
+ 5 more words & phrases
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Get the free PDF ↓Practice: positional words
Say it out loud first, then click to check.
1. The kids are playing outside the house.
Los niños están jugando fuera de casa.
2. The café is between the bank and the hotel.
El café está entre el banco y el hotel.
3. I look through the window.
Miro a través de la ventana.
4. The beach is near the hotel.
La playa está cerca del hotel. (de + el = del)
5. The airport is far from the city. (la ciudad)
El aeropuerto está lejos de la ciudad.
6. Your keys are right there (you can see them).
Tus llaves están ahí.
7. My family lives over there (in another country).
Mi familia vive allá.
Quiz: positional words (part 2)
8 questions. ¿Está cerca o lejos?
Frequently asked questions
Fuera de or afuera de?
Both are correct. Fuera de is more common in Spain, afuera de in Latin America.
Before you go to the next lesson
That’s the end of the positional words! Review both parts together, and practice by describing where things are around you. Grab the free reference sheet below. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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