The adverbios de lugar (adverbs of place/location) indicate the place where the action takes place. In order to identify this type of adverbs in a sentence, we need to ask the verb the question “where?” as in “where does the action take place?”
2. Delante (de) (in front of), adelante (forward, further on), enfrente (de) (across from) – delante implies priority in place, adelante implies moving forward or to a further point, and enfrente means the opposite side of one point.
3. Detrás (de) (behind), atrás (back, in the back of) – detrás implies in or to a position farther back, atrás implies moving towards the direction directly behind one or also the back part of something.
4. Dentro (de) (in, inside), fuera (de) (out, outside) – the interior or exterior part of something.
5. Arriba (up, top), abajo (down, bottom), encima (de) (on (top of), over, above), debajo (de) (below, under) – these adverbs indicate to, toward or in a higher or lower position.
6. Junto (a) (next to), alrededor (de) (around) – very close to something, in the surrounding area of something.
7. Cerca (near), lejos (far) – cerca implies closeness to the speaker unlike lejos which implies a farther distance from the speaker.
8. Donde, adonde (where) – donde is an adverb of location which can be substituted for “el que” and can be preceded by the prepositions a, de, en, hasta, hacia and por; adonde equals to donde but can only be used with verbs of movement such as ir, caminar, correr, etcetera.
Adverbios de lugar
1. Aquí/acá (here), ahí (there), allí/allá (over there) – indicate proximity to the speaker, from closest to farthest.| Si tú no has movido el libro, no sé cómo se ha ido de aquí a allí. ¡Los libros no tienen piernas para caminar! If you didn’t move the book, I don’t know how it went from here to over there. Books don’t have legs to walk! Encontramos un teléfono móvil nuevo ahí. We found a brand new cell phone there. |
2. Delante (de) (in front of), adelante (forward, further on), enfrente (de) (across from) – delante implies priority in place, adelante implies moving forward or to a further point, and enfrente means the opposite side of one point.
| Todavía no es tu turno. Esta señora está delante de ti. It’s still not your turn. This lady is in front of you. No voy a poder ver la película desde aquí. ¿Nos movemos más adelante? I am not going to be able to see the movie from here. Should we move forward? La catedral está enfrente del ayuntamiento. The cathedral is across from the city hall. |
3. Detrás (de) (behind), atrás (back, in the back of) – detrás implies in or to a position farther back, atrás implies moving towards the direction directly behind one or also the back part of something.
| Me tocó sentarme detrás de un hombre muy alto y me perdí la mitad de la obra de teatro. I had to sit behind a really tall man and I missed half of the play. ¡Échate para atrás! Estás muy cerca de mí. Move back! You are too close to me. El enchufe está en la parte de atrás del televisor. The plug is in the back of the TV. |
4. Dentro (de) (in, inside), fuera (de) (out, outside) – the interior or exterior part of something.
| Llevas toda la tarde dentro de casa. Sal a tomar un poco de aire fresco. You’ve been inside all day. Go get some fresh air. No salgas fuera. Está lloviendo a cántaros.Don’t go outside. It’s raining cats and dogs. |
5. Arriba (up, top), abajo (down, bottom), encima (de) (on (top of), over, above), debajo (de) (below, under) – these adverbs indicate to, toward or in a higher or lower position.
| Tu prima va a dormir en la litera de arriba y tú en la de abajo. Your cousin is going to sleep on the upper bunk bed and you are taking the bottom one. He dejado las llaves encima de la encimera. I left the keys on (top of) the kitchen counter. Cuidado no pises al gato que está durmiendo debajo de la mesa. Be careful don’t step on the cat that is sleeping under the table. |
6. Junto (a) (next to), alrededor (de) (around) – very close to something, in the surrounding area of something.
| Quiero que te quedes junto a mí. I want you to stay next to me. Había mucha gente manifestándose alrededor de la biblioteca. There were a lot of people protesting around the library. |
7. Cerca (near), lejos (far) – cerca implies closeness to the speaker unlike lejos which implies a farther distance from the speaker.
| Mis mejores amigos viven cerca de mi casa así que pasamos mucho tiempo juntos. My best friends live near my house so we hang out often. ¿Vamos a caminar a la escuela? Está muy lejos, vamos a llegar cansados. Are we going to walk to school? It is too far, we are going to get there tired. |
8. Donde, adonde (where) – donde is an adverb of location which can be substituted for “el que” and can be preceded by the prepositions a, de, en, hasta, hacia and por; adonde equals to donde but can only be used with verbs of movement such as ir, caminar, correr, etcetera.
| Ese es el hospital donde (en el que) nací. That’s the hospital where I was born in. Fui adonde la secretaria me dijo pero allí no me pudieron ayudar. I went where the secretary told me to but they couldn’t help me there. |