aun e incluso

Question

How do I know when to use aun vs. when to use incluso? Both mean "even".

Cómo sé cuándo debo usar aun vs. incluso? Ambos quieren decir "even."

Answer 1

Hey, Leslie, so good to see you!

Just lots of reading and listening until I get a feel for the usage?

Yes, unfortunately, there's no set rule that I know of to differentiate the two words. "Aun" (without the accent mark) is usually synonymous with "incluso" and generally means "even."

• Seré la única que estaré allí aun si hace frío. I will be the only one who is there even if it is cold.

• Aun así, no puedo hacerlo. Even so, I can't do it.

• Aun hoy te recuerdo. Even today I remember you.

• Sus fotos son muy inferiores aun con una cámara cara. His photos are very inferior, even with an expensive camera.

I can't formulate it Mariana but there does seem to be a rule somewhere close. Your examples cannot, I think, be converted to "incluso" so what's the determinant? - geofc, Nov 13, 2012

Waving wildly - hey yourself, Mariana!!! I'm reading a book that uses 'incluso' quite a bit and that's what made me wonder. It's an ebook so it will be easy to find some examlples. - Lrtward, Nov 13, 2012

Answer 2

Fascinating!

55 years ago or so, I understood "incluso" to mean "as well", "also" or whatever else.

Now that you raise the point, I realise that it is actually used more often in this emphatic sense as a sort of ****atory "also". In the circumstances, I suggest that you might try using "aun" or "incluso" according to which sounds best in the sentence.

the perfectly ordinary, guiltless word that was partially obscured by an evil-minded censor can be read as emphatic or exaggerated. - geofc, Nov 11, 2012

Answer 3

Don't you love the censor?

Um, how do I know which sounds best in the sentence? Just lots of reading and listening until I get a feel for the usage?

Thanks for the response!

Say the two variants out loud. Quite often this will give you an immediate choice. But do keep listening and reading too. - geofc, Nov 13, 2012

Answer 4

Here are some examples from the same book, using aun.

• Aun así, debo dar gracias a Dios por las conservas de Ida Peek, pues de otro modo no tendría que comer. Even so, I should give thanks to God for Ida Peek's preserves, because otherwise I wouldn't have anything to eat.

• ..porque nadie dice nada y, aun así, estamos teniendo una conversación. .. because nobody is saying anything and, even so, we are having a conversation.

• Conduje sintiéndome culpable por dejar tanto tiempo a Madre, aun a sabiendas de ue el doctor Neal iba a pasarse por la tarde. I drove feeling guilty for leaving mother for so long, even knowing doctor Neal would visit her in the afternoon.

In the whole book, this author only uses aun así except for that last example. Everything else is incluso.

Answer 5

• ..se pasaba todo el tiempo leyendo. Incluso había empezado a escribir un libro... .. she spent all of her time reading. She had even begun to write a book...

• ... ha perdido esta batalla antes incluso de empzarla. had lost this battle even before it began.

• Hago mis cálculos e incluso aunque sean menos horas de trabajo, está muy bien pagado. I make my calculations and even though there are less hours of work, it's very good pay.

• ...la mujer más vaga que he conocido. ¡Incluso más que mi hermana Doreena, que de pequeña nunca movió un dedo para ayudar en casa.... ... the laziest woman I've known. Even more (lazy) than my sister Doreena, who since childhood never moved a finger to help around the house...

Incluso does seem a bit more emphatic, but I think in all of these sentences a person could say "aun" instead.

For the record, I heartily recommend a Kindle with a Spanish - English dictionary for reading books in Spanish. The abilty to look up a word with a single touch is wonderful! And it does a surprisingly good job of finding infinitives and root words, too - Lrtward, Nov 13, 2012