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.
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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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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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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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:
Según me sienta mañana, decidiré ir o no al evento.
Depending upon how I feel tomorrow, I'll decide whether or not to go to the event.
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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There are two ways in which the Spanish conjunction según can function like the English word "as." Let's take a closer look.
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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Según can also be translated as "as" as to talk about something that is happening at the same time as something else:
según iba caminando, iba interactuando con los niños, hablando, y a la vez
as I was walking, I was interacting with the kids, talking, and, at the same time,
Caption 81, Circo Berlín Christian - Part 1
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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."
Durante un año, según.
In a year, depending.
Caption 46, Edificio en Construcción Hablando con los trabajadores - Part 1
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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.
As with any other language, Spanish can be tricky sometimes. Do you know how to use the word entorno? What about the expression en torno? Which one would you use in the following sentence?:
Fuengirola es un importante punto turístico. Su economía gira ________ a este sector.
Fuengirola is an important touristic spot. Its economy revolves around this sector.
Captions 12-13, Fuengirola - Mercado
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What about this sentence:
Encontró en su _________ un atractivo natural para los amantes del ecoturismo.
Found in its environment a natural beauty for the lovers of ecotourism.
Caption 94, Tecnópolis - El Coronil
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Let’s find out what the answer is.
To begin with, entorno is a noun and the meaning of this word is environment or surroundings. However, it is important to say that entorno encompasses the same broad meaning of the English word “environment,” meaning “the circumstances, objects, or conditions by which one is surrounded.” Let’s take a look at some examples:
... las calles, la gente... lo que es el entorno urbano.
... the streets, the people... what the urban environment is.
Captions 39-40, Leif - El Arquitecto Español y su Arte
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Para modificar el entorno, desarrolló herramientas, ¿no?
In order to modify the environment, he developed tools, right?
Caption 50, Lo que no sabías - Arte electrónico
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Regarding the last example, the word entorno is very common in information and computer science, especially when talking about the features that define the execution and placement of a particular application.
As far as the expression en torno goes, we can use it to mean about, around or approximately. Let’s take a look:
que hay en torno a cincuenta millones, eh, hispanohablantes en Estados Unidos.
that there there are about fifty million, um, Spanish speakers in the United States.
Captions 42-43, El Instituto Cervantes - Director del Instituto
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Puede andar en torno a los dos mil seiscientos...
It could be around two thousand six hundred...
Caption 50, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos
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Finally, keep in mind that en torno is either followed by the preposition a or the preposition de:
That's it for this lesson. Now that you know the difference between entorno and en torno, you can answer the questions we posed at the beginning, right? And don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions.
Let's continue studying examples of sinalefas. If you missed part 1 of this lesson you can read it here.
Sinalefas are an important aspect to consider when learning Spanish because they play a fundamental role in the fast-paced speech we hear so frequently in many native speakers and which makes listening comprehension so challenging. We've seen that sinalefas can merge up to five vowels from different contiguous words, like in the infamous example Envidio a Eusebio (I envy Eusebio), but sinalefas that merge two and three vowels are much more common and thus the more frequent culprits of word merges. Since we already covered sinalefas that merge two vowels, let's now focus on the ones that merge three or more.
For a sinalefa of more than three vowels to occur, at least one of the following conditions must be met:
Condition 1. The vowels are combined in a gradual scale from more open to less open, for example aeu, as in La europea (the European), or from less open to more open, for example uea, as in abue Antonia (Granny Antonia).
Here's an example with an oi and an aae sinalefa that allows the speaker to pronounce no iba a entrar as a single word:
Decidimos que en nuestras tiendas no iba a entrar un chocolate...
We decided that in our stores no chocolate was going to enter...
Caption 46, Horno San Onofre - El Chocolate
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Here's an iea sinalefa that allows the speaker to pronounce nadie apoyaba as a single word:
Nadie apoyaba el movimiento...
No one was supporting the movement...
Caption 57, Arturo Vega - Entrevista
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Condition 2. The combination consists in one open vowel surrounded by two less open ones. For example iae, as in limpia estancia (clean place), eau as in muerte auspicia (auspicious death), uoi as in mutuo interés (mutual interest), etc.
Here's an oae sinalefa that allows the speaker to pronounce salto a Europa as a single word:
Ahora preparan su salto a Europa, a Francia y a Alemania.
Now they're preparing their jump into Europe, France and Germany.
Caption 49, Europa Abierta - Carne ecológica y segura
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Here's an example with an iao and an ee sinalefa that allows the speaker to pronounce de aire en as a single word:
...y además, controlan [sic] el flujo de aire en el interior.
...and additionally, it controls the flow of air inside.
Caption 53, Tecnópolis - El Coronil
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When none of these two conditions are met, merging contiguous vowels from different words to form a sinalefa is theoretically impossible. We will study some interesting cases in the third and last part of our lesson on this topic. In the meantime, we invite you to find more examples of sinalefas that merge two or more vowels by browsing our catalog of videos. We recommend you use the search tool located in the upper right corner of the site to find them.
We have a gem and we want to share it with you. It's a little slip of the tongue that Rosie, one of the girls in the NPS series, makes while being introduced to a handsome new sports instructor:
Ay, a mí me encanta el deporte y más si el "teacher" está así de bueno.
Oh, I love sports and even more if the teacher is so good-looking.
Rosie's subconscious betrayed her for a moment there, because that's apparently not what she wanted to say, as she immediately corrects her blunder:
Ah, ay, digo, digo si es tan bueno.
Uh, oh, I mean, I mean if he's so good.
The difference between estar bueno (to be good-looking*) vs ser bueno (to be good) is the classic example used to explain the proper way to combine the verbs estar and ser (both meaning "to be") with adjectives, and to understand the sometimes not-so-subtle difference in meaning that results from it: if you use ser, the adjective is a fundamental characteristic of the person or thing you are describing, whereas if you use estar, it's a description of a mood or appearance, something less intrinsic or something not permanent. Having the chance to learn this rule with a pun is priceless, don't you think?
There are many interesting examples of adjectives that change meaning when they are combined with the Spanish verbs ser and estar to describe people. For example, the adjective frío, which means "cold."
You can use this adjective with the verb ser to describe a fundamental characteristic of a person or group of persons:
Lo siento. Pero acá la gente es fría y distante, es una... -¡Mentira!
Sorry. But here the people are cold and distant, it's a... -Lie!
Caption 73, Yago - 10 Enfrentamientos
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But if you say that someone está frío, that can only mean that the person('s body) is actually cold. Here is a grim example:
Está en la cama, muerto. Está frío y azul.
He's on the bed, dead. He’s cold and blue.
That's why, in fact, the combination of the verb estar with the adjective frío is much more commonly used to describe objects, concepts, and beings regarded as inanimate: la noche está fría (the night is cold), la champaña está fría (the champagne is cold), etc. But careful: that doesn't mean that you can't use ser + an adjective to describe such things. You can, especially with concepts and abstract ideas. For example:
...si la temperatura exterior es más fría que la interior
...or if the temperature outside is colder than the inside [temperature]
Captions 58-59, Tecnópolis - El Coronil
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En Buenos Aires las noches están frías.
In Buenos Aires nights are cold.
Yet that doesn't mean that you can't say en Buenos Aires las noches están frías. It's just definitely less common and actually incorrect if what you mean is that all nights in Buenos Aires are generally cold. So, if you ever find or hear such an assertion using the verb estar instead of ser, it would probably be accompanied by certain implicit or explicit clues that would tell you that the adjective frías (cold) is being used to describe a temporary situation. For example:
En Buenos Aires las noches están frías, por ahora.
In Buenos Aires nights are cold, for now.
No salgas, está frío afuera.
Don't go out, it's cold outside.
So, you may be wondering: how do I say in Spanish that someone is cold, meaning that the person feels cold? Well, you have to use a different verb instead: tener (to have). Have you ever heard a Spanish native speaker say "I have cold" by mistake? That's why.
...y yo nada más tengo frío y hambre y no sé qué hacer.
...and I'm just cold and I'm hungry and I don't know what to do.
Caption 23, Yago - 6 Mentiras
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So, unless you are a zombie or another kind of undead creature, don't ever say estoy frío.
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*Just so you know, the adjective bueno in estar bueno is actually closer to "yummy" or "hot" than to "good-looking."
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