"To" in Spanish

Quick Answer

To is a word made up of two letters that can be translated into Spanish in several different ways. Some of the translations for to in Spanish include a, hacia, hasta, de, and menos—among others. Read on to learn more about when to use each translation of to in Spanish!

With just two little letters, one would think that to is one of the easier words to translate into Spanish, right? Wrong. Like so many other words, the correct translation of to in Spanish depends on the context in which it is being used.

To in Spanish: Direction

When we’re talking about direction—where we’re going to—we use the following translations:

Spanish	English
a	to, as in toward
hacia	to, as in toward
hasta	to, as in as far as

How can we use these terms in context? Let’s take a look:

examples
Nos vamos al parque mañana. We’re going to the park tomorrow.
Estaban caminando hacia el río cuando los vi. They were walking to the river when I saw them.
Tienen que ir hasta la fuente y volver. They have to go to the fountain and come back.

gotopark

Remember: When a comes before the masculine article el, the contraction al is used.

Want to learn more about when we use to in Spanish? Check out this article!

To in Spanish: Purpose

When we are using to in contexts where it means in order to, we can translate it as aor para. For example:

examples
Fernando vino a despedirse. Fernando came to say goodbye.
Visitaron al pueblo para ver dónde habían vivido sus antepasados. They visited the town to see where their ancestors had lived.

visitvillage

Learn more about the word para in our article with quick tips for understanding "por" and "para".

To in Spanish: Possession

We can also use to when we are talking about possession. In that case, the translation of to often depends on the verb that we use. Some of the ways to say to in Spanish in this context include:

Verb	Spanish Translation for To
pertenecer	a
ser	de

Check out how we translate to in these contexts:

examples
El coche azul aparcado allí le pertenece a la alcalde de la ciudad. The blue car parked over there belongs to the mayor of this city.
Este libro es de mi hermano. Lo ha dejado aquí anoche. This book belongs to my brother. He left it here last night.

To in Spanish: Indirect Object

If you are explaining to whom an action is happening, or to whom an object is given, use a.

examples
Martín entregó su trabajo a su maestra. Martín gave his assignment to his teacher.

teacher and student

To in Spanish: Time

We can also use the word to when we are talking about time. When we want to state that it’s x minutes to an hour, to in Spanish is translated as menosor parain Latin America. For example:

examples
Son las dos menos cuarto. It’s a quarter to two.
Es un cuarto para las cinco. It's a quarter to five.

Need a refresher on how to tell time in Spanish? Check out our lesson on time in Spanish.

To in Spanish: The Infinitive

Infintives: An Overview

Remember that the infinitive is the most basic form of a verb, be it in English or Spanish. An infinitive verb is not conjugated, and thus does not give us any information about who or what is performing the action, or when it is or was performed.

In English, infinitive verbs use to. For example: to swim, to run, and to sleep. In Spanish, infinitive verbs end in -ar, -er, or -ir. For example, nadar(to swim), correr(to run), and dormir(to sleep).

Infintives With Other Verbs

We often use English infinitives together with another verb. This also happens in Spanish. For example, the following set of verbs are followed by the infinitive in both English and Spanish.

Note that the English to is not translated in this context, as Spanish does not use to as the infinitive marker.

Spanish	English	Example
gustar	to like to	Le gusta nadar en el río.(She likes to swim in the river.)
necesitar	to need to	Necesitamos estudiar más.(We need to study more.)
querer	to want to	Quieren ir a Valparaíso.(They want to go to Valparaiso.)
saber	to know how to	Sé esquiar.(I know how to ski.)
soler	to tend to	Marta suele estudiar por la noche.(Marta tends to study at night.)

Learn more about infinitive verbs in Spanish in this article.

To in Spanish: Phrases

Many phrases in English use the word to. In this case, the translation of to in Spanish can vary widely. Let’s take a look at a few common phrases in English that use to, and some of their translations in Spanish:

Spanish	English
consecutivo, consecutivamente	back to back
de lado a lado, un lado a otro	side to side
de un lado a otro, para adelante y para atrás	to and fro
es decir, o sea	that is to say
estar a la altura de, igualar	live up to
estar de acuerdo, ponerse de acuerdo	see eye to eye
hasta	up to
ir al grano	cut to the chase
moderno, actualizado, al día	up to date
pariente de, relacionado con	related to
según, conforme a, de acuerdo con	according to
tener muchas ganas de, estar deseando	look forward to