Are you familiar with the Spanish preposition entre? While the preposition entre in Spanish is most often a direct equivalent for the many uses of the English words "among" and "between," it can occasionally be utilized in slightly different ways and with different translations than its English counterparts. Today's lesson will explore many of its nuances.
According to the Dictionary of the Spanish language, the Spanish preposition entre "denotes the situation or state in between two or more things." Let's break up this definition into a few subcategories:
The Spanish preposition entre might describe the nature of a relationship "between" entities, whether talking about bloodlines or quality. Let's see an example of each:
La relación entre José y yo. ¿José es mi...? -Hermano.
The relationship between Jose and me. Jose is my...? -Brother.
Captions 19-20, Curso de español Vamos a hablar de la familia
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La relación entre mi papá y mi abuela era tan amistosa como la que tenía Rusia con Estados Unidos.
The relationship between my dad and my grandma was as friendly as the one Russia had with the United States.
Captions 8-9, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 13 - Part 2
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Now, let's look at an example where entre describes the "state" between two things:
encontréis ese equilibrio entre cuerpo y mente.
you find that balance between body and mind.
Caption 60, Ana Teresa 5 principios del yoga
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And finally, like the English word "between," the Spanish preposition entre can be employed to compare things:
¿Y sabéis cuál es la diferencia entre la lava y el magma?
And do you know what the difference between lava and magma is?
Caption 24, Aprendiendo con Silvia Los volcanes
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The preposition entre in Spanish also comes up in some situations in which an English speaker might use the word "in" or "within." Examining two different captions from the same video, note that while the first has been translated with the more literal "among," it could be substituted with the English word "in," while "in" is probably the only suitable choice in the second example.
Allí, se escondió entre los juncos.
There, he hid among the reeds.
Caption 29, Cleer El patito feo
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Pero, afortunadamente, una viejita que lo había visto entre la nieve, lo recogió.
But, fortunately, an old woman who had seen him in the snow picked him up.
Caption 39, Cleer El patito feo
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Another use of the Spanish preposition entre is to refer to an intermediate state between two or more things:
Granada produce al año entre quince y veinte millones de kilos de aguacate
Granada produces per year between fifteen and twenty million kilos of avocados
Captions 1-2, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 16
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Entonces los edificios tienen ese toque especial... de mezcla entre la arquitectura antigua y la moderna.
So the buildings have that special touch... from the mix between old and modern architecture.
Captions 20-21, Yabla en Buenos Aires Puerto Madero
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This Spanish preposition can furthermore depict an intermediate physical location:
se sentaba siempre entre las dos únicas chicas de la clase,
always sat between the only two girls in the class,
Caption 33, Aprendiendo con Silvia Nacionalidades y adjetivos - Part 1
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The word entre in Spanish can likewise entail the idea of inclusion, as in the following two examples, where it could be replaced by the English phrase "as one of":
No gané el concurso, pero quedé entre los finalistas
I didn't win the contest, but I placed among the finalists,
Captions 46-47, Aprendiendo con Carlos El microrrelato - Part 3
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Entre ellos, tenemos estos burros de peluche que a la gente le gusta mucho.
Among them, we have these stuffed donkeys that people like a lot.
Captions 14-15, Santuario para burros Tienda solidaria
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As we see in the following examples, the Spanish preposition entre might also evoke the idea of collaborative effort:
Si podemos imaginarlo, entre todos podemos lograrlo.
If we can imagine it, among all of us, we can achieve it.
Caption 9, Con ánimo de lucro Cortometraje - Part 1
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El plato se llama "La Deli" y entre los tres le vamos a dar forma y la decoración.
The dish is called "The Deli," and between the three of us, we're going to give it shape and decorate it.
Caption 24, Misión Chef 2 - Pruebas - Part 7
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If you wish to speak about what is done customarily "among" particular groups, the Spanish preposition entre could additionally come in handy:
"Hermano" es una palabra que se usa mucho entre amigos
"Brother" is a word that is used a lot among friends
Caption 35, Carlos comenta Confidencial - Jerga típica colombiana
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una serie argentina que es muy popular entre nuestros usuarios.
an Argentine series that is very popular among our users.
Captions 3-4, Carlos y Cyndy Comentario sobre Muñeca Brava
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And finally, the preposition entre in Spanish can suggest reciprocity, in which case it might be translated with the English "each other."
y cómo se apoyaban entre ellos.
and how they supported each other.
Caption 19, Aprendiendo con Silvia Nacionalidades y adjetivos - Part 2
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se juntaban las españolas de ese pueblo para hablar entre ellas.
the Spanish women from that town would get together to talk to each other.
Captions 49-50, Soledad Amistades
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We hope that this lesson has helped you to better understand the many uses of the Spanish preposition entre, especially those that are slightly different than the manners in which its English equivalents "among" and "between" are employed. Feel free to write us with your questions and suggestions.
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.
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:
Planeta Mercurio y el año de la serpiente
Planet Mercury and the year of the snake
Signo patente tatuado y en mi frente
Obvious sign, tatooed and on my forehead
Captions 10-11, Ana Tijoux - 1977
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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.
Gracias por la clase y por aclararme que yo no vivo ni en Plutón ni en la luna,
Thanks for the class and for clarifying to me that I don't live either on Pluto or on the moon,
Caption 55, Conversaciones con Luis - Astrología
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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:
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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