at the bottom of a place
I would like to know if I must say:
Draw a river at the bottom of this square.
Draw a river on the bottom of this square.
I am not sure if it is "at" or "on". Thank you.
12 Answers
At the moment, I cannot find any examples with "on the bottom". I think it should be "at the bottom".
But, is all right "in the background of the square"? I would like to know your answer
No - at the bottom refers to the lower part of the square; in the background referes to what's further behind something else.
in the background
.
at the bottom
Dear Nila, "Draw a river at the bottom of the square" is correct. I'll give you a few more useful phrases when you want to describe a picture. My students find this list pretty handy:
at the bottom of the picture
at the top of the picture
in the corner
in the bottom left corner
in the bottom right corner
in the top right corner
in the top left corner
in the middle
in the centre
in the background of the photograph
in the foreground of the painting
on the left
on the right
in the upper part
in the lower part
Also - some phrases referring to what you can see and what you feel:
The picture shows two children....
It presents a part of some sculpture...
There are lots of autumn leaves...
The photo depicts a library...
It could be a human liver...
It may be someone hidden behind the bushes...
I think it's a view from the Eiffel Tower
It's some kind of view of a city, but the image is blurred...
It seems to be a photo of ancient ruins, but I'm not sure...
It reminds me of my childhood...
The picture brings back some of my memories from school...
I must admit that I'm a bit confused when I look at it...
I really like it.
I don't like it at all. It's so gloomy and depressing...
etc.
Hola Nila,
Depende en lo que quieres decir.
Draw a river at the bottom of this square.
Esto significa que quieres que la persona dibuje en o cerca de la borde más abajo de la cuadrada (En cada cuadrado, hay cuatros bordes)
Draw a river on the bottom of this square.
Esto es un poco más ambiguo porque puede significar que quieres que la persona dibuje en la cara abaja de la cuadrada (En cada cuadrado, hay dos caras) o que deseas que dibuje en o cerca de la borde más abaja de la cuadrada.
Por favor, discúlpame los errores del español
I think you could say it either way. At and on do have different senses to them, but sometimes they can have nearly equal meaning, which I think can happen in this case. And, I think context will make your meaning clear.
If you wish to be more precise in your meaning, here are some other ways to communicate this idea...
- along the bottom of the square (especially if you intend the river to go from one side to the other)
- somewhere / anywhere along the bottom of the square (it need not go from one side to the other)
- within / in the bottom portion / half / part of the square
- somewhere / anywhere within / in the bottom portion / half / part of the square
Examples:
- Draw a river along the bottom of the square. (more or less implies the river should extend from one side to the other)
- Draw a river anywhere along the bottom of the square.
- Draw a river within the bottom part of the square. (Might imply that the river should fill the entire lower half of the square)
- Draw a river somewhere in the bottom portion of the square.
You can also substitute lower for bottom.
- Draw a river somewhere within the lower part of the square.
What the arrow was pointing to, was the greay background - let's pretend that they're mountains in the background 
I think I am understanding what is part of the problem. Actually, "bottom" can have two meanings in this context:
bottom1 1 a (of box, bottle, drawer, bag) fondo m;
(of hill, stairs) pie m; (of page) final m, pie m; (of pile) parte f de abajo;
I mean, it can be "fondo" or "parte de abajo".
By the way, Webdunce, I do not finish to understand in your examples when you are referring to "fondo" or "parte de abajo".
Issabela, after seeing your drawings I understand that the triangle is behind the circle. Then, "in the background" is like saying the furthest distance from where I am looking. We are talking about distance.
If I see the circle in your second picture, we are talking about the position inside the drawing. Is that it?
en el fondo del cuadro - in the background/at the bottom, depending on what you want to say exactly and which dimension is taken into account
Here are some examples with bottom:
Grandma was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
It's at the bottom of the page
Go downstairs and wait for me at the bottom.
There should be a menu bar at the bottom of your screen.
What's that on the bottom of your shoe? (the flat surface on the lowest side of an object)
I found the keys - they were at the bottom of my handbag.
The Giants are at the bottom of the league. (the lowest position in society, an organization etc)
Higgins had started at the bottom (=in a low position in a company) and worked his way up to become managing director.
A body was found at the bottom of the canal.
fish living on the sea bottom
There's a shop at the bottom of the street.
Lack of money is at the bottom of many family problems. (the basic cause of a problem or situation)
from the bottom of my heart
As you can see, most of them use "at", however sometimes other prepositions are also possible.
At the moment, I cannot find any examples with "on the bottom". I think it should be "at the bottom".
But, is all right "in the background of the square"? I would like to know your answer.
at the bottom of the picture
at the top of the picture
Here, I can guess that the meaning of "at the bottom of the picture" is "en la parte de abajo del cuadro".
But what happens If I want to say "en el fondo del cuadro"?. Which sentence should I use with "bottom" if there is any?
At the moment, I am sorry but I do not understand anything.
We need further clarification to answer you well. To "draw a river on the bottom of this square" refers to a very precise point which would include a portion of the actual square. To "draw a river at the bottom of the square" would indicate the precise area next to the bottom of the square but not including any portion of the square. I hope this explanation helps!
