today word of the day was "here". i though it was "aqui" in spanish? i know "akah" is italian for here.

Question

aqui or acah?

• Please write your questions in proper English with correct spelling and punctuation. - qfreed Sep 9, 2009

Answer 1

aqui= here acá= over here (shows distance) Link to summary on spandict: http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/acá

• Mostly they are used exchangeably. - LAtINaPunKRO Sep 9, 2009

Answer 2

I think you are right, I learned "aqui" for here.

• Better get used to the concept that there is not a 1 to 1 relationship between words in two languages. - qfreed Sep 9, 2009
• Try reading this on "work" http://spanish.about.com/od/translationsfromenglish/a/work.htm?nl=1 - qfreed Sep 9, 2009

Answer 3

I think it is both. Try entering both terms in the dictionary and they both give you "here"--adverb.

Same for "there." Allí and Allá

I think it has something to do with the actual position. Hard to explain in English. For example: "There?" (alli?) pointing to the right. "No, there." (alla) pointing to the left.

Answer 4

I have been taught to use the phrase "venga acá" when working with kids in Latin America. This basically means "come over here" and was used quite frequently when trying to gather children to a specific location.

Others are more qualified, but in English, we might say "I am standing here." But if we wanted someone to come to where we were standing we would say "venga acá".

Answer 5

Yeah this one threw me a bit too, thought I'd come post my first question here, but looks like I've been beaten to it. Still, a quick search has found the following:

Acá means "over here", whereas aquí means "right here"[1]. In many uses the difference disapears, such as ven acá / ven aquí, and so you can find one becomes the more friendly version, while the other less used version is more stern. For example, if you were asking someone to come join you verses if you were ordering your child who'd misbehaved to "come here!". However, which way round they get used seems to be regional; there may be no general rule you can follow that will apply everwhere.[2]

Acá can also be temporal; it doesn't just mean physically here in this location, but also at this moment in time (ie, now) [2], or can indicate motion ("I am here" (this is where I am) vs "come here" (move yourself to here)) [3]. Acá seems to be used less in Spain, perhaps only even to say "come here"[3].

Alex

Answer 6

I was taught that each word relates to the distance of one object from another.

aquí - right here

acá - over here

allí - right there

allá - over there

• I think you meant to say allí is right there, not here. - Alicia-53 Sep 9, 2009
• Thanks...I think that I need to spend a little more time on TypingDict.com - Izanoni1 Sep 9, 2009
• hahaha...we could all use that. - --Mariana-- Sep 9, 2009