How do you say "just" in Spanish? To answer that question, we should first examine some of the many meanings of the word "just" in English. We could, for example, have "just" completed some action or might speak about something being "just" right... all while working for a "just" cause. With this in mind, let's explore many of the most common meanings of the English word "just," then find out how to express them in Spanish.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English adjective "just" can mean "Based or behaving according to what is morally right or fair." One Spanish equivalent of this meaning of the word "just" sounds very much like its English counterpart: justo/a. Let's see an example:
Y una ciudad, un pueblo, una sociedad más sensible es una socied'... una sociedad mucho más justa.
And a city, a town, a more sensitive society is a societ'... a much more just society.
Captions 37-38, Otavalo Claudia y sus pinturas
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Other Spanish adjectives that share similar meanings and can sometimes be translated as "just" in different contexts include justificado/a, legítimo/a, razonado/a, lógico/a, exacto/a, and preciso/a.
The English word "just" can also function as an adverb meaning "exactly" or "precisely." To convey this meaning, Spanish adverbs like justo, justamente, and precisamente can be utilized. Let's look at some examples:
Precisamente es lo que iba a mencionar.
That's just what I was going to mention.
Caption 80, Arturo Vega Entrevista - Part 1
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Justo lo que yo necesitaba,
Just what I needed,
Caption 27, X6 1 - La banda - Part 11
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By extension, like the English word "just," the aforementioned Spanish words can also mean "exactly" or "almost exactly at that moment," as in the following examples:
Precisamente le iba a contar a Amalia que por cierto, vaya novia más guapa tienes,
I was just about to tell Amalia that indeed, what a beautiful girlfriend you have;
Captions 56-57, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 10
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"Justo antes de ir a acostarte,
"Just before you go to bed,
Caption 5, Aprendiendo con Silvia Consejos para dormir mejor - Part 2
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In English, we often use the word "just" to describe something that happened in the immediate past. One way to convey this meaning of the word "just" in Spanish is with the formula acabar de + infinitive. Let's look at two examples of this construction, one in the present tense and one in the preterite:
Acabo de llegar a Barcelona
I just got to Barcelona
Caption 7, Raquel Oficina de Turismo
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La azafata acabó de salir del hotel y Zárate va tras ella.
The flight attendant just left the hotel, and Zarate is behind her.
Caption 21, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 10
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An alternative way to get across this meaning of the English word "just" in Spanish is with the word recién:
¿Vos no estuviste en la oficina recién?
Weren't you just at the office?
Caption 70, Muñeca Brava 2 Venganza - Part 6
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The word "just" can also communicate the idea of "barely" or "by a narrow margin," for which Spanish phrases like por poco or the colloquial por un pelo function similarly:
Perdimos el avión por poco/por un pelo.
We just missed the bus.
In certain cases, the Spanish phrase un poco may also communicate this idea of "just" as in a slim margin, as in the following example:
con un poco más de tres millones de habitantes.
with just over three million inhabitants.
Caption 7, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Visitando Madrid
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The English word "just" can also function like "simply" or "only," for which the Spanish words solo and solamente are viable translations:
No solo practico kitesurf, también tengo un hobby de ser DJ;
I don't just do kitesurfing, I also have a hobby of being a DJ;
Caption 56, Adícora, Venezuela La Posada Sea Club - Part 1
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Es una oportunidad de entrenar no solamente en nuestro cuerpo, sino también en nuestra mente,
It's an opportunity to train, not just our bodies, but also our minds,
Captions 26-27, Víctor en Caracas La natación
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The Spanish word apenas, whose translations include "barely" and "scarcely," can also be used to say "just" in the sense of "only":
No tienes. ¿Y cuánto tiempo tienes con tu esposo o tu pareja? Un año. Un año apenas. -Apenas.
You don't have. And how long have you have been with your husband or your boyfriend? A year. Just a year. -Just.
Captions 88-90, Adícora, Venezuela El tatuaje de Rosana
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And finally, Spanish adverbs like realmente and simplemente can get across the idea of the English word "just" with the meaning of "positively":
Realmente me encanta ser profesor, me encanta mi...
I just love being a teacher, I love my...
Caption 35, Profesor de matemática Entrevista
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No sé, mamá, simplemente me... me mató, me mató...
I don't know, Mom, it just... it killed me, it killed me...
Captions 5-6, Yago 11 Prisión - Part 8
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As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all translation for the English word "just" since it can mean so many different things, most of which are said in different ways in Spanish. Can you think of any additional meanings of the word "just" in English and/or ways to express them in Spanish? Let us know with your comments and suggestions!
Spanish punctuation may seem difficult if you are just learning the language. However, if you keep in mind the following rules, you will definitely improve your writing and the use of punctuation in Spanish.
In Spanish, you always need to use opening and closing punctuation. Keep this in mind especially for question marks and exclamation points.
¿Qué más cosas hay en el sueño?
What other things are there in the dream?
Caption 15, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: Hay y estar
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¡Todo el mundo paga para que lo escuchen!
Everyone pays for them to listen to you!
Caption 45, Yago - 14 La peruana
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D.A.S. [Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad].
A.D.S [Administrative Department of Security].
Caption 28, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capitulo 4 - Part 10
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After a question mark or exclamation point, you can put any punctuation mark except a period.
¡Acompáñame! Este recorrido inicia en la Calle Doctor Coss.
Join me! This tour begins at Doctor Coss Street.
Captions 5-6, Paseando con Karen - Canal Santa Lucía
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Don't put a comma or semicolon before an opening parenthesis. However, feel free to put those marks after the closing parenthesis.
If you want to put a period at the end of a sentence that is between quotations marks, you need to put the period after the closing quotation mark.
La cita de hoy es de Aldous Huxley y dice así:
Today's quote is by Aldous Huxley and goes like this:
"Todos los hombres son dioses para su perro".
"To his dog, every man is Napoleon" [literally "To their dog, all men are gods].
Captions 8-10, Los casos de Yabla - El perrito malcriado
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Unless you are quoting something (as in the example we mentioned for rule 6) or writing a particular document (e.g. a letter), you always need to use lower case after a colon.
Luego tendrá usted que rellenar un formulario
Then you will have to fill out a form
con las siguientes cuestiones: país de recogida, ciudad de recogida.
with the following questions: country of pickup, city of pickup.
Captions 14-16, Raquel - Alquiler de coche
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Sí, Zárate, ¿qué pasó?
Yes, Zarate, what happened?
Caption 20, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capitulo 4 - Part 12
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There are many more rules regarding punctuation in Spanish. However, we invite you to keep in mind the rules we just mentioned here because that way you'll certainly improve your writing in Spanish. And don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.
Y tras la pausa, vamos a ver si se anima Sebastián Estebanez...
And after the break, we'll see if Sebastian Estebanez dares...
Caption 56, Factor Fobia - Cucarachas
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Tras la guerra con Napoleón, el Rey Fernando Séptimo inició su reconstrucción.
After the war with Napoleon, King Ferdinand the Seventh began his reconstruction.
Captions 64-65, Marisa en Madrid - Parque de El Retiro
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The word tras can be used to mean "after" in terms of the timing of a sequence of events.
Tras hablar con su padre, Ana dijo que no volvería a la casa.
After speaking with her father, Ana said she would never return home.
Note that tras can also operate as a preposition used to indicate "behind."
La azafata acabó de salir del hotel y Zárate va tras ella.
The flight attendant has just left the hotel and Zarate is behind her.
Caption 21, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 4
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Tu hermano está tras la puerta.
Your brother is behind the door.
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