Spanish: An Essential Grammar

Awith expressions of time and age

A usually translates ‘at’ and ‘on’:

Vino a las once y se fue al mediodía.

He came at 11 o’clock and went at midday.

A los quince años ya era futbolista.

At fifteen he was already a footballer.

A la mañana siguiente ya había pasado la tormenta.

The following morning the storm had passed.

It is also sometimes found to express ‘after’:

A los seis meses de regresar, se enfermó.

Six months after returning, she fell ill.

This meaning is also apparent in phrases such as the following:

a principios de at the beginning of

a mediados de in the middle of

a finales de at the end of

a la llegada de on the arrival of

Aindicating price, speed and rate

¿A cuánto están las berenjenas?

How much are aubergines?

La ven una vez al año/al mes.

They see her once a year/month.

Viajaba a 100 kilómetros por hora.

She was travelling at 100 kilometres an hour.

Aafter verbs of smell, taste and sound

After verbs such as oler‘to smell’, saber‘to taste’, and sonar‘to sound’,

and after associated nouns such as olor‘smell’, and sabor‘taste’, aoften

corresponds to ‘of’ and ‘like’:

21.1.6

21.1.5

21.1.4^1111

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1011

1

12111

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

20111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30111

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

40

41111

21

Prepositions

218