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.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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."
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
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Un momento después, Pigueldito miró hacia el cielo.
A moment later, Piggeldy looked toward the sky.
Caption 14, Pigueldito y Federico Refranes
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Mirar hacia el futuro sin dar la espalda al medio ambiente:
Looking toward the future without turning one's back to the environment:
Caption 91, Tecnópolis El Coronil
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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
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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
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yo sentí cierto rechazo hacia ella,
I felt a kind of rejection towards her
Caption 33, Soledad Los prejuicios
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Do you know how to use the definite article el in Spanish? It's one of the most common words in the language, but its usage can sometimes be tricky for learners. In this lesson, we will explore how and when to use el correctly, including its rules and exceptions. Let's dive into the world of definite articles in the language of Cervantes.
Let's start with the basics of the definite article el.
A definite article is used to indicate a specific noun that is known to the reader or listener. In English, the definite article is "the." In Spanish, the masculine singular form of the definite article is el.
We use el with masculine singular nouns. Here are some examples:
el libro (the book)
el perro (the dog)
el coche (the car)
Let's hear how to pronounce this article:
Sin duda, en la actualidad el perro es el animal que más se utiliza como apoyo en este tipo de intervenciones.
Without a doubt, nowadays the dog is the animal that is used the most for support in this type of intervention.
Captions 40-41, Isabel Lavesa Terapia asistida con animales
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1. Nouns Starting with a Stressed 'A' or 'HA' Sound
When a feminine noun starts with a stressed "a" or "ha" sound, el is used instead of la to avoid a cacophony. However, the noun remains feminine. For example:
el agua (the water)
el águila (the eagle)
el hacha (the axe)
Note that in the plural form, "las" is used:
las aguas (the waters)
las águilas (the eagles)
las hachas (the axes)
2. Nouns That Are Always Masculine
Some nouns are always masculine, even though they might end in "a" or have other endings that might suggest they are feminine. For example:
el mapa (the map)
el día (the day)
el sofá (the sofa)
3. Compound Nouns
Many compound nouns that end in "-a" but are formed by combining two words are masculine. For example:
el sacapuntas (the pencil sharpener)
el paraguas (the umbrella)
el abrelatas (the can opener)
Let's watch the following clip where you can listen to our friend Fermín using the definite article "el" with various words:
La parte delantera del vehículo se llama capó y es donde se encuentran el motor, la batería, el agua, el líquido de frenos y el aceite,
The front of the vehicle is called the hood and is where the engine, the battery, the water, the brake fluid, and the oil are located,
Captions 48-49, Fermín Vocabulario del coche y la conducción - Part 1
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Now, let's practice a little bit more with some examples.
El libro es tan bueno como la película.
The book is as good as the movie.
Caption 20, Karla e Isabel Comparativos
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como: el mapa y el planeta.
like: the map and the planet.
Caption 47, Fundamentos del Español 2 - Nombres y Género
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¡Muy bien! El águila.
Very good! The eagle.
Caption 73, El Aula Azul Adivinanzas de animales - Part 2
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Dejemos a un lado el hacha de guerra
Let's leave aside the axe of war
Caption 22, Bebé Kiéreme
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Remember that el is only for masculine singular nouns. Don't use el with feminine nouns that don't start with a stressed "a" or "ha" sound. For example:
Incorrect: el casa
Correct: la casa (the house)
When the noun is plural, use los for masculine nouns and las for feminine nouns. For example:
el libro → los libros
el agua → las aguas
That's it for today. We hope this lesson helped you understand how to use the definite article el in Spanish. Do you have any questions or comments? Please let us know!
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