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"At" is a preposition which is often translated as "en", and "around" is an adverb which is often translated as "alrededor". Learn more about the difference between "at" and "around" below.
at(
aht
)
A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun and another word (e.g., He ran through the door.).
preposition
a. en
I'll be waiting for you at the finish line.Te esperaré en la línea de meta.
a. hacia
The dog was running at him.El perro estaba corriendo hacia él.
b.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
The boy threw a ball at the wall.El niño tiró una pelota contra la pared.
The proud graduate waved at her parents.La graduada orgullosa saludó a sus padres.
a. a (specific time)
The meeting starts at two in the afternoon.La reunión comienza a las dos de la tarde.
b. por (time of day)
We always eat late at night.Siempre comemos tarde por la noche.
a. a
It was love at first sight.Fue amor a primera vista.
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
He's good at making the new employees feel welcome.Tiene un don para hacer a los nuevos empleados sentirse bienvenidos.
I'm bad at sports.Se me dan mal los deportes.
a. por
The poem communicates gratefulness at the fact of being alive.El poema transmite agradecimiento por el hecho de estar vivo.
a. arroba
Is your email address at-gmail-dot-com or at-yahoo-dot-com?Tu dirección de correo electrónico, ¿es arroba-gmail-punto-com o arroba-yahoo-punto-com?
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around(
uh
-
raund
)
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).
adverb
a. alrededor
He was looking around but couldn't spot us.Miraba a su alrededor, pero no nos localizó.
a. por aquí
I know he's around somewhere.Sé que anda por aquí en algún lugar.
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
Email was not around back then; you would fax things instead.El correo electrónico no existía en ese entonces; las cosas se mandaban por fax.
There aren't many of us around.No somos muchos.
A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a noun and another word (e.g., He ran through the door.).
preposition
a.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
The lion was pacing around his enclosure.El león caminaba en círculos por su recinto.
They showed us around their new house.Nos mostraron su nueva casa.
a. alrededor de
We gathered around the fire to tell ghost stories.Nos sentamos alrededor de la fogata para contar cuentos de fantasmas.
b. en torno a
The fans crowded around the actor to ask for his autograph.Los fans se apiñaron en torno al actor para pedirle su autógrafo.
a. aproximadamente
A flight to London typically costs around a thousand dollars.Un vuelo a Londres normalmente cuesta aproximadamente mil dólares.
b. alrededor de
Why don't you come here around five o'clock?¿Por qué no vienes para acá alrededor de las cinco?
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