As with any other language, Spanish can be tricky sometimes. Do you know how to use the word entorno? What about the expression en torno? Which one would you use in the following sentence?:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Fuengirola es un importante punto turístico. Su economía gira ________ a este sector.

Fuengirola is an important touristic spot. Its economy revolves around this sector.

Captions 12-13, Fuengirola - Mercado

 Play Caption

What about this sentence:

Encontró en su _________ un atractivo natural para los amantes del ecoturismo.

Found in its environment a natural beauty for the lovers of ecotourism.

Caption 94, Tecnópolis - El Coronil

 Play Caption

Let’s find out what the answer is.

What is the English meaning of entorno?

To begin with, entorno is a noun and the meaning of this word is environment or surroundings. However, it is important to say that entorno encompasses the same broad meaning of the English word “environment,” meaning “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.” Let’s take a look at some examples:

... las calles, la gente... lo que es el entorno urbano.

... the streets, the people... what the urban environment is.

Captions 39-40, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte

 Play Caption

Para modificar el entorno, desarrolló herramientas, ¿no?

In order to modify the environment, he developed tools, right?

Caption 50, Lo que no sabías - Arte electrónico

 Play Caption

Regarding the last example, the word entorno is very common in information and computer science, especially when talking about the features that define the execution and placement of a particular application.

The meaning of the expression en torno

As far as the expression en torno goes, we can use it to mean about, around or approximately. Let’s take a look:

que hay en torno a cincuenta millones, eh, hispanohablantes en Estados Unidos.

that there there are about fifty million, um, Spanish speakers in the United States.

Captions 42-43, El Instituto Cervantes - Director del Instituto

 Play Caption

Puede andar en torno a los dos mil seiscientos...

It could be around two thousand six hundred...

Caption 50, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos

 Play Caption

Finally, keep in mind that en torno is either followed by the preposition a or the preposition de:

• Ella llegó en torno a la medianoche.
• She arrived around midnight.

• Las esculturas en torno de la iglesia.
• The sculptures around the church.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

That's it for this lesson. Now that you know the difference between entorno and en torno, you can answer the questions we posed at the beginning, right? And don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.