Ponga las cajas alla means put the boxes over there?
What the difference when you say ponga las cajas allá and ponga las cajas allí? Mexican-Americans in South Texas say ponga las cajas allá which means put the boxes over there, is this incorrect?
12 Answers
ahí = (over) there, near the listener
allí = (over) there, in the general vicinity of the speaker and the listener
allá = (over) there, farther away
aquí = here, near the speaker
acá = here, in the vicinity of the speaker
Note that acá can be used in situations where "there" or "over there" would be used in English, even though it is usually used to mean "around here". There are times when someone will use one of the words for there when a strict application of the above definitions would indicate that a different one should be used--they are guidelines, not strict rules. No one is going to break out a measuring tape and calculate which word to use.
Note also that the distances are not an absolute rule, just as in English:
I live here in Ecuador. Vivo aquí en Ecuador. (distance = whole country)
I know a lot of people around here. Conozco mucha gente por acá. (distance = neighborhood)
My house is over there. Mi casa está allá. (distance = a few blocks)
No, it isn't a matter of preference. It's a matter of distance. Allí is right there and allá is farther, over there.
My understanding was that "alli" meant "there" in the sense of "over there" and usually referred to a particular location (as already stated).
Allá has the meaning of "there" in the sense of "beyond" or regarding a greater (or more ambiguous) distance. For instance, I own a Spanish textbook titled "Más allá de las Palabras"--
or , Beyond the Words.
No thats the way I say it ponga la tabla allá which means put the board over there, is this wrong? Even maragret says that this is correct and she's a native spanish speaker
Hi, Vengo,
"Ahí" can be an indeterminate location whereas "Allí" is is going to mean a specific spot or area. This is what the dictionary on this site says.
You seem to be fixated on using allá, so why don't you just use it with no uncertainty? After all, if the person or persons don't understand you, you can choose another word, or description to make your point.
Ok, good... then "allí" can mean "over there"... but just not as far away as "allá". If I think about what they are teaching, it is "over there" (in the vicinity of the speaker and listener).
I would probably say allí in this case, but others might say allá or acá.
At a restaurant the other day, a man was standing imbetween two tables and asking someone else which one they preferred. He called one acá and one allí. The distances were the same and the listener was standing next to him. It's the same as using "(over) here or (over) there" in English, despite the fact that here and there mean slightly different things.
I also saw two people standing on opposite sides of a counter and one guy refered to something on the other side of the counter in front of the other guy as "allí".
So ponga la tabla allá means put the boards over there?
Ok, good... then "allí" can mean "over there"... but just not as far away as "allá". If I think about what they are teaching, it is "over there" (in the vicinity of the speaker and listener).
Ok my question is ponga las cajas allá correct? Or does it have to be allí
My understanding has always been that ahí = there, allí = (right) over there [referring to a specific place], and allá = (somewhere) over there [referring to a vague location].
Both Rosetta Stone, and from what a friend told me, Pimsleur, teach that "allí" is "over there".
El hotel está allí.
The hotel is over there. Not, the hotel is right there.
I once asked somebody about the difference between "allí" and "allá", and they told me it was a matter of preference. She was from Colombia.
We'll see what others say...
