Español — adverbs of place
Adverbs of place say where something is or happens. They are invariable — they never change for gender or number — and are often paired with the verb estar, as in El libro está aquí.
How it works
Distance from the speaker is marked by a three-way set: aquí (right here, by me), ahí (there, by you), allí (over there, away from both). Other pairs mark relative position: cerca/lejos (near/far), dentro/fuera (inside/outside), arriba/abajo (up/down), encima/debajo (on top/underneath), delante/detrás (in front/behind), and enfrente (opposite, facing). To connect them to a reference point, add de: cerca de la casa, detrás de mí.
Examples
| Adverb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| aquí / acá | here (by me) | Ven aquí, por favor. |
| ahí | there (by you) | Deja las llaves ahí. |
| allí / allá | over there (far) | Mi abuela vive allí. |
| cerca / lejos | near / far | El metro está cerca; el aeropuerto, lejos. |
| dentro / fuera | inside / outside | Espérame dentro, hace frío fuera. |
| arriba / abajo | up(stairs) / down(stairs) | Los baños están arriba. |
| encima / debajo | on top / underneath | El gato está debajo de la mesa. |
| delante / detrás | in front / behind | Ponte delante, yo voy detrás. |
| enfrente | opposite, facing | La farmacia está enfrente. |
Good to know
Don't confuse the adverb with the preposition. Adverbs of place stand alone (está encima, vivo cerca), while their prepositional counterparts need de plus a noun: encima de la mesa, cerca de la playa. Also note acá and allá (common in Latin America) are less precise than aquí/allí and combine with más: más allá means "further over."