Are you familiar with the Spanish preposition hacia? While its most common translation is "toward(s)," whether referring to direction or one's attitude, it can mean different things in different contexts, such as "approximately" or "about" when referring to time. Let's explore these meanings further with a multitude of examples from Yabla's Spanish video library. 

Hacia to Indicate Movement in a Particular Direction

When referring to movement with a particular direction or destination, the Spanish preposition hacia can function as the equivalent of not only the English "toward(s)" but also additional prepositions like "for" or "to." Let's take a look at several examples.

Fue una mañana que yo iba caminando hacia la facultad

It was one morning when I was walking toward my college department [building],

Caption 5, Soledad Raspi

 Play Caption

para animarles y desearles suerte antes de su salida hacia el campo.

to encourage them and wish them luck before their departure for the field.

Caption 82, Viajando con Fermín Final Copa del Rey

 Play Caption

Hoy fue extraditado hacia los Estados Unidos, otro miembro del cartel de Medellín,

Today, another member of the Medellin cartel was extradited to the United States,

Caption 6, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 1 - Part 13

 Play Caption

banner5 PLACEHOLDER

Hacia When Used With Direction Words

When used with direction words like abajo (down), adelante, (forward), arriba (up) or atrás (back), or directions like norte (north), sur (south), etc., hacia can be thought of like the English suffix "ward(s)." Let's take a look:

siempre tiene que ir hacia arriba, y cuando haces un trazo grueso, siempre tiene que ir hacia abajo.

it always has to go upward, and when you do a thick stroke, it always has to go downward.

Captions 34-36, Adriana Lettering - Part 2

 Play Caption

Y vamos a fondear toda la isla por la costa... yendo hacia el norte.

And we're going to drop anchor all around the island along the coast... going northwards.

Caption 11, El Trip Ibiza

 Play Caption

It should be noted that the translations for Spanish sentences like these could also be expressed in English without "ward(s)," for example, one could simply say "it has to go up" or "down" or "going north."

Hacia to Indicate Direction Without Movement

In the absence of movement, the Spanish preposition hacia is frequently used to mean "in the direction of" when indicating orientation or location. Let's take a look:  

de manera que hacia la cama también tenemos otra puerta corredera,

so that towards the bed, we also have another sliding door,

Caption 51, Viajando con Fermín Caravaning - Part 3

 Play Caption

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

Hacia to Describe an Attitude About Something

With varying translations like "toward(s)" "to," "for" and more, the Spanish preposition hacia can additionally express one's point of view with regards to someone or something.

y sobre todo mucha gratitud hacia todos los que elegimos visitar este hermoso rincón de Andalucía.

and, above all, a lot of gratitude for all of us who choose to visit this beautiful corner of Andalusia.

Captions 47-48, Viajando con Fermín El Día del Turista de Mijas

 Play Caption

que encuentras un público muy abierto hacia ti,

when you encounter an audience that's very open to you,

Caption 37, Circo Berlín Lucas - Part 2

 Play Caption

yo sentí cierto rechazo hacia ella,

I felt a kind of rejection towards her

Caption 33, Soledad Los prejuicios

 Play Caption

Hacia to Indicate Approximate Time 

When used to talk about time, the Spanish preposition hacia means "around," "approximately" or "about."

Iré hacia las cinco.

I'll go around five. 

Actualmente se celebran manifestaciones del orgullo anualmente por todo el mundo, hacia finales de junio,

Currently, pride demonstrations take place annually throughout the world, towards the end of June,

Captions 55-56, Maoli La revuelta de Stonewall

 Play Caption

Hacía (With an Accent)

To conclude today's lesson, we'll mention that you shouldn't confuse the Spanish preposition hacia with hacía (with an accent), the extremely frequently-employed imperfect tense of the verb hacer, which means "to make" or "do." Let's see it in a couple of captions:

¿Usted qué hacía en el salón de ese profesor? ¿Ah?

What were you doing in that teacher's classroom? Huh?

Caption 19, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 6

 Play Caption

porque mi abuela hacía muchas croquetas.

because my grandma used to make a lot of croquettes.

Caption 37, Con Marta por Madrid El tapeo - Part 1

 Play Caption

We hope that this lesson has shed some light on several of the many contexts in which the Spanish preposition hacia can be used as well as many of its translations. Don't forget to write us with your questions and suggestions.

banner2 PLACEHOLDER

Are you familiar with the Spanish preposition contra? In most cases, the Spanish preposition contra can be translated as "against" and functions very similarly to many uses of its English counterpart. Occasionally, however, this Spanish preposition can be used to depict situations in which a different English preposition could be utilized. Let's explore some uses and nuances of this Spanish preposition. 

banner2 PLACEHOLDER

1. Opposition of Two or More Things

The first meaning of the Spanish preposition contra refers to the opposition of two or more things, in which case it is typically translated as "against." Let's take a look at a couple of examples that describe entities facing off "against" one another:

una batalla ocurrida en mil setecientos dos que enfrentó a ingleses y holandeses contra españoles y franceses,

a battle that took place in seventeen oh two, which pitted the English and Dutch against the Spanish and French,

Captions 56-57, Adrián en Galicia Vigo

 Play Caption

Similarly, the Spanish preposition contra can reference the literal or figurative fight "against" something specific, such as a disease or cause:

pero la lucha contra el narcotráfico continúa

but the fight against narco-trafficking continues,

Caption 41, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 1 - Part 11

 Play Caption

Busco un remedio contra el dolor de cabeza.

I'm looking for some headache medicine. 

Note that in this last example, while the word "contra" implies combatting pain, it is not explicitly translated into English. 

banner PLACEHOLDER

2. A Contrary Position 

Like the English word "against," the Spanish preposition contra can indicate a sentiment of disagreement, disapproval, or opposition, for example, to a particular cause, notion, or person. Let's examine some examples of this meaning of contra:

¡Y contra eso estamos!

And we're against that!

Caption 58, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 1 - Part 13

 Play Caption

In this context, the word contra often appears within the construction en contra de, which means "against" or "in opposition to":

Los diferentes sistemas o soluciones constructivas, eh... No estoy a favor o en contra de ninguno.

The different systems or constructive solutions, um... I'm not in favor of or against any one.

Captions 7-8, Leif El Arquitecto Español y su Arte - Part 2

 Play Caption

3. Towards

This third use of the Spanish preposition contra denotes the direction of a movement "towards" something or someone. Although the word "against" can sometimes act as an English equivalent of this usage, in other cases, different English prepositions may be more common translations. For example, if you said "Reboté mi pelota contra la pared," a common translation would be "I bounced my ball off the wall." Let's see a few more examples:

El coche chocó contra la pared

The car crashed into the wall 

Bochica lanzó su báculo contra la montaña,

Bochica threw his staff at the mountain,

Caption 51, Aprendiendo con Carlos América precolombina - El mito de Bochica

 Play Caption

se percuten contra el piso. Otras veces, esos instrumentos se percuten... madera contra madera.

are struck against the floor. Other times, those instruments are struck... reed to reed.

Captions 29-31, Sonido Babel Los quitiplás

 Play Caption

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

4. In Front of

This meaning of the Spanish preposition contra typically describes things that are leaning "on" or "(up) against" something else, or facing it, as in the following examples:

El niño apoyó su patinete contra la pared.

The child leaned his scooter on/against the wall. 

Arrimaron los tablones contra el muro. 

They put the boards up against the wall. 

5. In Exchange for

In common expressions like "entrega contra reembolso" (delivery on/upon payment) or "pago contra entrega" (payment on/upon receipt), the Spanish preposition contra conveys that one thing happens in exchange for another and/or cannot happen until something else has occurred:

Recibirán el dinero contra entrega de la factura. 

You'll receive the money when you submit the invoice.

Interestingly, the securities industry uses a similar term, versus, in expressions like Delivery Versus Payment (DVP) to say that payment must take place in order for the delivery to happen. However, most of the time, the English words "on," "upon," or "when" convey this notion. 

That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has clarified for you the different uses of the Spanish preposition contra. Can you think of any additional examples and/or their English translations? We'd love for you to write us with you insights and questions.

banner4 PLACEHOLDER