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Spanish Adverb: Antaño

Pronunciation: Ahn-tah-nyoh

Translation: Times gone

Function: Adverb

‘Antaño’ is a very old word about very old times, and gives Spanish sentences the flavor of times gone past: ‘Ya no hacen vinos como los de antaño’ [they don´t make wines as in the old times] If you find it resembles the word ‘año’ [year], you are right, they are related: ‘antaño’ comes from ‘ante-’ [before -] and ‘año’ [year]

‘Como en antaño’ is very much in use, but the ‘en’ is out of place: ‘como antaño’ (‘como antes’) is the right way to use this word.

Example:

Las mujeres de antaño no podían estudiar en las universidades.

Translation:

In the old times, women couldn´t study in universities.

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Spanish Adverb: Abajo, bajo

Pronunciation: Ah-bah-joh

Translation: Below, under

Function: Adverb

‘Hacia un lugar inferior’ [toward a place below] is what ‘Abajo’ means -when paired with movement verbs-, as in: ‘nadó aguas abajo’ [swam downstream]. If the associated verb doesn’t mean movement, then it has a sense of a place below: “Está allá abajo’ [he is below]

Without the ever important “movement” prefix ‘a’, ‘bajo’ can function as the “down” adverb: ‘a un volumen bajo’ [at a lower volume]. When it appears after a noun, it means in the lowest part: ‘río abajo’ [down river]

Example:

Voy abajo

Translation:

I am going below

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Spanish Phrase: Modismos

Pronunciation: Moh-dees-moh

Translation: Adverbial idioms

Function: adverb phrases

There are some Spanish expressions that come from “who knows where” and follow no syntax rule, but they appear often. Here are the most popular ones: ‘a fuerza’, ‘por poco’,'en serio’,'de golpe’, ‘de veras’,'de milagro’,'poco a poco’, ‘de memoria’ and ´tarde o temprano’

They mean “forcefully, almost, seriously, suddenly, really, miraculously, little by little, by heart, sooner or later”. They all add-up “flavor” to the language and there is no other choice but to memorize and try to use them often.

Example:

A lo mejor

Translation:

Maybe

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Spanish Adverb: Donde, adonde

Pronunciation: Dohn-day, Ah-dohn-day

Translation: Where, to where

Function: Adverb

The ‘Donde’ [where] and ‘adonde’ [to where] difference is on movement: the second one is used when the action starts at someplace and ends somewhere else, as in ‘El almacén donde compramos tu traje’ [The store where we bought your suit]

When using these words in the interrogative form, don´t forget an ‘acento’ is in order: ‘¿en dónde vives?’ [where do you live?] ‘¿adónde fuiste?’ [where did you go?]

Example:

El lugar adonde van

Translation:

The place where you are going to

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Spanish Adverb: Ahí, allí

Pronunciation: Aee, a-yee

Translation: There, over there

Function: Adverb

Don’t get confused by ‘ahí’ and ‘allí’, just because they don´t have direct equivalents in English. They form a group with the word ‘aquí’ [here], that is: ‘aquí, ahí, allí’. They refer to something either close to the speaker, closer to the listener or far from both.

Although English doesn´t have the third one, English speakers manage by adding “over” when talking about something far from both speaker and listener, as in “over there”, the ‘ahí’ counterpart.

Example:

Llévalo de aquí a allí

Translation:

Take it from here to over there

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