Are you familiar with the Spanish word según? Did you know that it can function as a preposition, a conjunction or even an adverb? Let's explore six meanings of this common Spanish word.

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1. In Accordance With 

As a preposition, the Spanish word según can mean "according to," "in agreement with" or "in accordance with," in the sense of following or abiding by something. Let's see an example of this usage: 

Yo estoy actuando según la ley.

I'm acting in accordance with the law.

Caption 11, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 3 - Part 10

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2. According To

As we see in the following captions, like "according to" in English, the Spanish preposition según can also appear before nouns or personal pronouns to describe what people or entities believe or say.

y según expertos es una de las más antiguas

and according to experts, it's one of the oldest ones,

Caption 25, Amaya Cata de vinos

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Las pirámides, según los abuelos Mayas, no son monumentos

The pyramids, according to the Mayan elders, are not monuments

Caption 47, Guillermo el chamán La tecnología maya

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3. Corresponding With or in Proportion To

This use of según as a preposition is often translated with the English phrase "depending on." In this case, según is often followed by a noun phrase that includes a verb in the subjunctive and describes some variable on which an outcome depends. Let's take a look:

que, según la manera en que respiremos, así va a ser nuestra vida.

as, depending upon the manner in which we breathe, that's how our life is going to be.

Captions 76-77, Ana Teresa La respiración

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Esta planta tiene diferentes nombres según el país en que se encuentre, 

This plant has different names depending on the country in which it is found,

Caption 15, Fermín La plumeria - Part 1

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4. Depending on What or How

In this case, the Spanish word según is classified as a conjunction and is often followed immediately by a verb in the subjunctive mood. Typical translations include "depending on what" or "depending on how," as in the following example:

Let's see one more from the Yabla Spanish library:

Aquí se tira mucho o poco según se mire.

Here a lot or a little is thrown away depending on how you look at it.

Caption 20, Los Reporteros Sembrar, comer, tirar - Part 1

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5. As

There are two ways in which the Spanish conjunction según can function like the English word "as." Let's take a closer look. 

In the way that:

The Spanish word según can be replaced with the English word "as" to say "in the way that," as we see here:

Que según entiendo tampoco estás haciendo con juicio.

Which, as I understand, you're not doing sensibly, either.

Caption 59, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 5 - Part 7

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según dicen algunos, que de ahí proviene el nombre de Coronil.

as some people say, from there comes the name Coronil.

Captions 10-11, Tecnópolis El Coronil

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Simultaneously:

Según can also be translated as "as" as to talk about something that is happening at the same time as something else:

6. It All Depends 

Finally, as we see in the caption below, the word según in Spanish can stand alone as an adverb meaning "depending" or "it all depends."

That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to distinguish the many nuanced uses of the word según in Spanish, and don't forget to write us with your suggestions and comments.

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You are probably familiar with the Spanish word ahí (not to be confused with hay or ay), which is one of the ways to say "there" in Spanish. However, you may have noticed that it seems to be used frequently by many native speakers with different meanings, which aren't always easy to intuit. Let's explore many of the possible meanings of the common Spanish word ahí.

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1. There

Like the English word "there," the Spanish word ahí can mean "in that place," "to that place" or merely "that place." When referring to physical location, the word ahí technically describes the closest distance relative to the other Spanish words for "there," allí and allá, but is often used interchangeably with the others. Let's take a look at some examples.

In That Place:

y lo dejaremos ahí hasta que hierva.

and we'll leave it there until it boils.

Caption 19, Ana Carolina Ponche navideño

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To That Place:

Entonces no sé si vamos ahí.

So I don't know if we [can] go there.

Caption 34, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 2 - Part 2

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That Place:

In this usage, the word ahí is often preceded by a preposition, as we see here:

Y a veces, por ahí sale el calor del centro de la tierra.

And sometimes, the heat from the center of the earth comes out through there.

Caption 48, Guillermina y Candelario El Gran Descubrimiento

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When paired specifically with the Spanish preposition de, de ahí literally means "from that place" and works like the English word "hence" to refer to something that was said previously:

recordando a la cabeza de un ave; de ahí su nombre no científico.

reminding one of a bird's head; hence its non scientific name.

Captions 63-64, Isabel Lavesa Especies vegetales

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2. From That Point or Situation 

In this usage, the Spanish word ahí also references something that was previously mentioned and might be translated with "there" or other phrases like "that's when," "that's where," etc. Let's see two examples in context:

Y ahí me vino la inspiración de hacer un vídeo sobre los medios de transporte.

And that's where the inspiration came to me to make a video about the means of transportation.

Captions 9-10, Aprendiendo con Silvia Medios de transporte - Part 1

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3. At That Moment (Then)

The word ahí in Spanish can also work like the English word "then" to refer to a specific moment in time:

Ahí vamos a agregar nuestra, eh... panela en almíbar, se podría decir, ¿no?, o panela derretida.

Then, we're going to add our, um... panela syrup, you might say, right? Or melted panela.

Captions 49-50, Otavalo Proyecto familiar Kawsaymi - Part 5

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Let's look at this usage in the context of common fixed expressions in both Spanish and English:

De ahí en adelante las cosas empezaron a suceder con rapidez.

From then on, things began to happen quickly.

Caption 32, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 13 - Part 4

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4. Perhaps

The word ahí can also work like the word "maybe" or "perhaps," as we see below:

Y ahí voy a la fiesta mañana; no estoy segura. 

And maybe I'll go to the party tomorrow; I'm not sure. 

Fixed Expressions With the Spanish Word Ahí

In addition to the many uses we just covered, the word ahí is also part of many fixed expressions in Spanish. Below you will find several with example sentences.

Por ahí: 

Just this one Spanish construction can have many different meanings in different contexts, aside from the literal one, "through there," which we saw previously. Let's take a look at several of them.

     Maybe, Might:

Por ahí se preparan un asadito... no sé.

They might prepare a barbecue... I don't know.

Caption 56, Muñeca Brava 44 El encuentro - Part 8

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     "They," "People"

Por ahi can also be used similarly to the impersonal se construction in Spanish to describe what "people" generally do, say, etc. Alternative translations for the caption below thus include "As they say" or "As people say."

Como dicen por ahí, todo tiene su ciencia.

As the saying goes, there's a science to everything.

Caption 20, Guillermina y Candelario El Manglar

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     Around (Physically)

O... "Por favor, no lo dejéis todo por ahí tirado.

Or... "Please, don't leave everything scattered around.

Caption 19, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados del verbo dejar - Part 1

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     Around (About/More or Less)

Él se hizo famoso por ahí de los años setentas

He became famous around the seventies

Caption 15, Guillermo el chamán La tecnología maya

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Comer/Cenar por ahí: to go out to eat/go to dinner

Vamos a cenar por ahí esta noche.

We're going to go out to dinner tonight. 

Ahí va: It's coming along, hanging in there

¿Cómo está el proyecto? -Ahí va.

How's the project? It's coming along.

¿Cómo está tu hermano? Me dijeron que estaba enfermo.  -Ahí va. Todavía no se encuentra muy bien. 

How's your brother? I heard he was sick. -He's hanging in there. He's still not feeling very well.

Ahí voy: Coming, I'll be right there

This might be used when someone is at the door or calling you, for example, from another room. 

A partir de ahí: from that point, from there

A partir de ahí, comienza lo que serán veinticuatro horas de fiesta ininterrumpida,

From there, what will be twenty-four hours of uninterrupted partying begins

Captions 56-57, Días festivos La Tamborrada de San Sebastián

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Ahí no más: very close, just a stone's throw away

Tenemos la Unidad Operativa de Punta Pirámide, que está ahí nomás de Puerto Pirámide

We have the Operational Unit of Punta Pirámide, which is very close to Puerto Pirámide,

Captions 21-22, Perdidos en la Patagonia Península Valdés

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Ahí mismo: right there 

y ahí mismo vamos a echar nuestra carne salpimentada.

and right there, we're going to put in our seasoned meat.

Caption 38, La cocina de María Estofado de ternera

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Quieto ahí (Don't move, Stand still, Stop, Halt)

Quieta ahí.

Don't move.

Caption 28, Yago 2 El puma - Part 9

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That's all for this lesson on the many meanings of the Spanish word ahí, alone and in fixed expressions. We hope that it will help you to use it and understand it in different contexts, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments!

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Whenever a person is the object of a sentence in Spanish, the word a (which can literally mean "to," "at," etc., depending upon the context) must be included prior to the person. This is called the "personal a" in English and the "a personal" in Spanish.

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What is an Object?

In both English and Spanish, the subject of a sentence is the person or thing that performs an action and the object is the person or thing that receives it. For example, in the English sentence "Edison ate cake," "Edison" is the subject and "cake" is the object. And in the sentence "Gonzalo hugged Eva," "Gonzalo" is the subject while "Eva" is the object. So, while the translation for the first example, Edison comió torta, would not require the personal a, the second one would since Eva is a person: Gonzalo abrazó a Eva​.

Examples of the Personal a

Now that we understand a bit how the personal a works, let's see a few examples where the same verb in the same tense either has a personal a or doesn't, depending upon whether the object of the sentence is a person. You will note that there is no direct translation for the personal a in the English sentences. 

Ver:

Pero yo vi sombras.

But I saw shadows.

Caption 26, Tu Voz Estéreo Feliz Navidad - Part 4

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Entender:

me di cuenta que no entendía todos los conceptos

I realized that I didn't understand all the concepts

Caption 73, Guillermo el chamán La tecnología maya

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De verdad, en ese momento no entendía a las niñas.

Really, at that moment, I didn't understand girls.

Caption 53, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 11 - Part 6

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Conocer:

Conocí las islas Barú de... de Colombia

I visited the Barú Islands in... in Colombia

Caption 89, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2

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Conocí a María ayer.

I met María yesterday.

Caption 22, Lecciones con Carolina Saber y conocer

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Using the Personal a with Pronouns

When a pronoun like alguien (someone), nadie (no one/anyone), quien, alguno/a(s) (some/someobody/one),  or ninguno/a(s) (none/no one/any) replace a person or people as the direct object in a sentence, the personal a is used as well:

No queremos alarmar a nadie.

We don't want to alarm anyone.

Caption 52, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 8

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Perdón, eh, ¿busca a alguien?

Excuse me, um, are you looking for someone?

Caption 1, Muñeca Brava 8 Trampas - Part 10

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Todos los años, tengo que reñir a alguno.

Every year, I have to tell someone off.

Caption 46, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 10

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Additional Uses of the Personal a

The personal a is also used with animals or inanimate objects when the person speaking about them "personifies" them or has affection for them. One example is pets:

Yo amo a mi carro. -Se nota. -Único, bello.

I love my car. -You can see that. -Unique, beautiful.

Caption 97, Encuentro Volkswagen en Adícora Escarabajos en la playa - Part 2

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This is definitely the exception to the rule, though. In most cases, the personal a would not be used with such inanimate objects:

Vaya a lavar el auto, por favor!

Go to wash the car, please!

Caption 31, Muñeca Brava 30 Revelaciones - Part 5

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When Not to Use the Personal a

The Verb Tener

The personal a is not generally used with the verb tener:

¿Tienes hijos? -No.

Do you have children? -No.

Caption 87, Adícora, Venezuela El tatuaje de Rosana

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However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. One is when one has an emotional or close relationship with someone:

Tengo a Alejandrita que tiene diez y James que tiene diecinueve.

I have little Alejandra who is ten and James who is nineteen.

Captions 59-60, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 20

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Another is when someone is physically holding someone:

Él tenía a mi hija en sus brazos. 

He had my daughter in his arms.

A third is when one "has" someone "somewhere":

Teníamos a los gemelos en una clase de baile. 

We had the twins in a dance class. 

The Verb Haber

The personal a is not used with the verb haber, either:

hay muchas personas que se oponen a que haya paz en Colombia.

there are many people who are opposed to there being peace in Colombia.

Caption 32, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 9 - Part 1

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había una mujer que podía ser la protagonista de mi canción.

there was a woman who could be the main character of my song.

Captions 48-49, Luis Guitarra Historia de Lucía - Part 2

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In conclusion, although the personal a in Spanish can be a bit counterintuitive for English speakers since we don't have anything like it, we hope that this lesson has helped you to understand what it is and when it is and isn't used, and... don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments,

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How do you say the names of the planets in Spanish? We'll start off today's lesson by telling you how and then follow up with some simple astronomical vocabulary. 

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The Names of the Planets in Spanish

The names of the planets in Spanish are as follows: 

1. Mercurio = Mercury

2. Venus = Venus

3. La Tierra = (the) Earth

4. Marte = Mars

5. Júpiter = Jupiter

6. Saturno = Saturn

7. Urano = Uranus

8. Neptuno = Neptune

Now that you know what the planets are called in Spanish, let's take a look at a few examples from our Yabla Spanish library where their names are mentioned:

El planeta Marte alguna vez tuvo ríos, lagos y mares.

The planet Mars once had rivers, lakes, and seas.

Caption 6, Yabla informa - Noticias con Cleer

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The clip you just heard is from a news segment by Yabla's Cleer which delves into the mystery of what happened to the water on Mars. Let's see another clip that mentions the name of a planet, this time from a song:

We shouldn't neglect to mention that, as you may know, what was formerly considered to be the ninth planet, Pluto, was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" in 2006. The name for Pluto in Spanish is Plutón.

Additional Astronomical Vocabulary in Spanish

And, speaking of the moon, we thought you might be interested in learning how to say "the moon," "the sun," and some other basic vocabulary related to our solar system:

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1. la luna = the moon

2. el sol = the sun

3. la estrella = the star 

4. el planeta = the planet

5. la galaxia = the galaxy 

6. la Vía Láctea = the Milky Way

7. el cometa = the comet

8. el agujero negro/el hoyo negro = the black hole 

9. la nave espacial = the spaceship 

10. la constelación = the constellation

11. el sistema solar = the solar system

12. la teoría del Big Bang = the Big Bang theory

13. el eclipse = the eclipse

14. la astronomía = astronomy

15. el telescopio = the telescope

Now, let's take a look at a several of these terms in action:

eh... finalmente viene el universo, que es la Vía Láctea.

um... finally comes the universe, which is the Milky Way.

Caption 31, Guillermo el chamán - Los rituales

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Se le llama Las Siete Luminarias porque hay siete volcanes

It's called The Seven Luminaries because there are seven volcanoes

que forman la Osa Mayor, que es la constelación de la Osa Mayor.

which make up Ursa Major, which is the Ursa Major constellation.

Captions 13-14, Guillermo el chamán - La tecnología maya

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Lo que no sabemos, es de qué planeta son estos niños.

What we don't know is from what planet these kids are.

Son del planeta Tierra.

They are from planet Earth.

Captions 5-6, Salvando el planeta Palabra - Llegada - Part 3

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La nave rusa Soyuz ha despegado desde el centro espacial europeo de Kourou

The Russian spaceship Soyuz has taken off from the European space center in Kourou

Caption 3, Europa Abierta - Galileo vs. GPS

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Note that la nave can be used as a shorter way to say "the spaceship" in lieu of la nave espacial. The clip in which this video is found deals with the history of the European space program, in case you are interested in checking it out!

That's alll for today. We hope you've enjoyed this lesson on basic astronomical terms in Spanish, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments. 

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