just

justo

just(juhst)

adjective

1. (fair)

a. justo

We are defending a just cause here.

Estamos defendiendo una causa justa.

2. (deserved)

a. merecido

It was a just punishment for his crimes.

Fue un merecido castigo por sus crímenes.

adverb

3. (recently)

a. justo

I was just arriving when she left.

Justo estaba llegando cuando ella se marchó.

b. ahora mismo

I was just deciding what to do.

Ahora mismo estaba decidiendo qué hacer.

c.

no direct translation

I just saw your brother in the park.

Acabo de ver a tu hermano en el parque.

I just washed the dishes and now I have to take out the trash.

Acabo de lavar los platos y ahora me toca sacar la basura.

4. (barely)

a. justo

I made it to the station just before the train left.

Llegué a la estación justo antes de partir el tren.

b. por poco

You just missed him. He'll be back after lunch.

Te lo perdiste por poco. Regresará después del almuerzo.

5. (exactly)

a. justo

Our new house is just what I wanted.

Nuestra nueva casa es justo lo que quería.

6. (only)

a. solo

Don't be angry; I was just asking.

No te enfades, solo estaba preguntando.

b. solamente

I've been to New York just once.

He estado en Nueva York solamente una vez.

c. nomás

(Latin America)

He came late just to annoy me.

Vino tarde para fastidiarme nomás.

7. (equally)

a. tan

My new computer is just as good as yours.

Mi computadora nueva es tan buena como la tuya.

8. (emphatic)

a. verdaderamente

The new models are just amazing.

Los nuevos modelos son verdaderamente asombrosos.

9. (simply)

a. sencillamente

It was just the best movie I've seen in years.

Sencillamente fue la mejor película que he visto en años.

just

adjective

1. (fair)

a. justo(a)

it's only just that…es justo que…

he got his just desertsrecibió su merecido

adverb

2. (exactly)

a. justamente, justo

that's just what I told hereso es exactamente or justo lo que le dije

that's just the point!¡de eso se trata, precisamente!

isn't that just my luck!¡vaya mala suerte que tengo!

it's just as good/difficult as…es tan bueno/difícil como…

just thenjusto entonces

he's busy just nowestá ocupado en este (preciso) momento

just as I was leaving…justo en el momento en que me iba…

I can just see her as a doctorme la imagino perfectamente como médica

3. (only)

a. sólo, solamente

she's just a babyno es más que una niña

it costs just £10sólo cuesta 10 libras

4. (barely)

a. justo

just before/afterjusto antes/después

just over/under £50poco más/menos de 50 libras

just in timejusto a tiempo

it's only just big enoughtiene el tamaño justo

it's just enough to live onllega justo para vivir

they just missed the trainperdieron el tren un pelo

5. (recently)

a.

to have just done somethingacabar de hacer algo

I saw him just nowlo acabo de ver

just yesterdayayer mismo

just last yeartan sólo el año pasado

6. (simply)

a.

it was just wonderful/dreadful!¡fue sencillamente maravilloso/horroroso!

he just refuses to listen!¡es que se niega a escuchar!

just ask if you need moneysi necesitas dinero, no tienes más que pedirlo

7. (in threats, exhortations)

a.

just (you) try/wait!¡inténtalo/espera y verás!

(that's) just as well!¡menos mal!

8. (almost)

a. casi

they're just about the sameson casi iguales

I can just about manageme las puedo arreglar más o menos

to be just about to do somethingestar a punto de hacer algo

Copyright © 2006 Harrap Publishers Limited

just [dʒʌst]

adjective

1 (fair) [+person, system] justo

as is only just como es justo; como es de razón

2 (deserved) [+praise, reward] merecido; [+punishment] apropiado; justo

3 (justified) [+complaint, criticism] justificado; [+opinion] lógico

deserts

4 (accurate) [+account] correcto; [+assessment] correcto; exacto

plural noun

the just los justos

just [dʒʌst]

adverb

1 (relating to time) (at this moment) ahora mismo

we're just off nos vamos ahora mismo; I'm just coming! ¡ya voy!

we were just going

"have some tea!" — "actually, I was just going" —tómate un té —en realidad ya me iba

(at that moment) justo

he was just leaving when the phone rang estaba justo saliendo cuando sonó el teléfono

he was just going to have a bath when he heard a noise

(recently, a moment ago)

we were just talking about that precisamente or ahora mismo estábamos hablando de eso

just cooked recién hecho

it's just gone 10 o'clock acaban de dar las diez

to have just done sth acabar de hacer algo

he has just left acaba de irse; he had just left acababa de irse

I've just seen him I had just seen him

just married recién casados

the book is just out el libro acaba de salir

it's just past 10 o'clock acaban de dar las diez

(in expressions specifying "when")

just after I arrived poco después de mi llegada

just after Christmas justo después de Navidad; it's just after 9 o'clock son las nueve un poco pasadas

just as I arrived justo cuando yo llegaba

just as it started to rain justo cuando empezó a llover; en el momento en que empezó a llover

just before I arrived poco antes de mi llegada

just before Christmas justo antes de Navidad

I saw him just this minute lo he visto hace un momento

I've just this minute finished it acabo de terminarlo en este momento

just at that moment en ese mismo momento or instante

just this morning esta misma mañana

not just [now] I'm rather busy just [now] I did it just [now] just [then] the phone rang

just when it was going well ... precisamente or justamente cuando iba bien ...

just when he started to sing would you like some tea? - not just now, thank you

just yesterday ayer mismo

"are you leaving?" — "not just yet" —¿te vas? —aún or todavía no

are you ready? - not just yet not just yet

now recently then

2 (barely) por poco

we (only) just missed it lo perdimos por muy poco; I (only) just caught it lo alcancé por un pelo; por poco lo pierdo

we had just enough money teníamos el dinero justo

he missed the train, but only just perdió el tren, pero por poco

he passed, but only just aprobó pero por los pelos

we arrived just in time por poco no llegamos; llegamos justo a tiempo

3 (slightly)

just over/under two kilos un poco más de/menos de dos kilos

it's just over/under two kilos pasa de/no llega a los dos kilos

just to the left/right un poco más a la izquierda/derecha

just to one side a un lado

if you could move the vase just to one side for a moment... the photographer asked the groom to stand just to one side while he photographed the bride with the bridesmaids

4 (exactly) justo; exactamente

it's just my size es justo or exactamente mi talla; it's just the same es justo or exactamente igual; just here/there aquí/ahí mismo; just behind/in front of/next to etc justo detrás/delante de/al lado de etc; it's just (on) 10 (o'clock) son las diez en punto; it cost just (on) £20 me costó veinte libras justas

he was standing just at the corner

just how many we don't know no sabemos exactamente cuántos

that's just it! ¡ahí está! (informal); ¡esa es la cuestión!

"What makes you think that? Has he said something?" — "No, no, that's just it. He hasn't said or done anything" You may feel that this will make you look silly. But that's just it; everyone nowadays is afraid of speaking out because of what others might say and do. "He reminds me of a cabbage." — "That's just it; he never does anything without being pushed"

he's just like his father (physically, in behaviour) es idéntico a su padre

that's just like him, always late es típico (de él), siempre llega tarde; they are just like brothers son como hermanos; they have their problems just like the rest of us tienen sus problemas, exactamente igual que el resto de nosotros; I can't find £1,000 just like that no puedo conseguir mil libras así sin más

just like that he walked in and demanded his dinner, just like that

that's just the point! ¡ahí está! (informal); ¡esa es la cuestión!

"What makes you think that? Has he said something?" — "No, no, that's just it. He hasn't said or done anything" You may feel that this will make you look silly. But that's just it; everyone nowadays is afraid of speaking out because of what others might say and do. "He reminds me of a cabbage." — "That's just it; he never

he likes everything just so le gusta que todo esté perfecto

it's just what I wanted es justo or precisamente lo que quería

that's just what I thought eso es justo or precisamente lo que pensé; just what did he say? ¿qué dijo exactamente?; just what are you implying? ¿qué es exactamente lo que estás insinuando?

that's just what I was going to say

luck right

5 (only) solo; sólo; nomás; (LAm)

In the past the standard spelling for [solo] as an adverb was with an accent ([sólo]). Nowadays the [Real Academia Española] advises that the accented form is only required where there might otherwise be confusion with the adjective [solo].

they were just 15 when they got married tenían solo or nada más 15 años cuando se casaron; he's just a lad no es más que un chaval; es solo un chaval; it's just a mouse es solo un ratón; don't take any notice of her, she's just jealous no le hagas ni caso, lo que está es celosa or lo que pasa es que está celosa

it's just around the corner está a la vuelta de la esquina

I just asked! ¡preguntaba nada más!

just a few solo unos pocos; unos pocos nada más

just a little solo un poco; un poco nada más

just once una vez nada más; solamente or solo una vez

it's just over there está ahí mismo

it's just a suggestion es solo una sugerencia

he's just teasing solo está bromeando; está bromeando, nada más

just this once solo esta vez

alright, you can go by yourself, but just this once

we went just to see the museum fuimos solo para ver el museo

just the two of us los dos solos; solo nosotros dos

I just wanted to say that ... solo quería decir que ...

friend note

6 (simply) sencillamente

I just told him to go away le dije sencillamente que se fuera; just ask the way simplemente pregunta por dónde se va; I'm just phoning to remind you that ... solo llamo para recordarte que ...; let's just wait and see es mejor esperar a ver (qué pasa); you should just send it back deberías devolverlo sin más; he just couldn't wait to see them tenía unas ganas enormes de verlos

it's just one of those things son cosas que pasan

it's just that I don't like it lo que pasa es que no me gusta

I just thought that you would like it yo pensé que te gustaría

because imagine imagine wonder

7 (specially) solo; sólo

I did it just for you lo hice solo por ti

8 (conceivably)

it may just be possible puede que sea posible; it's an old trick, but it could just work es un viejo truco, pero puede que funcione

9 (in comparisons)

just as tan

it's just as good as yours es tan bueno como el tuyo; you sing just as well as he does cantas tan bien como él; the new one is just as big el nuevo es igual de grande; this model goes just as fast este modelo va igual de rápido

10 (in imperatives)

just let me get my hands on him! ¡cómo lo coja!; ¡con que lo agarre!; (LAm)

just listen to that rain! ¡escucha or fíjate cómo llueve!

just listen a minute, will you? ¡escúchame un momento!, ¿quieres?

just look at this mess! ¡fíjate qué desorden!

just wait a minute! ¡espera un momento!

just you wait, he'll come sure enough (reassuringly) espera hombre, ya verás cómo viene; just (you) wait until I tell your father (threateningly) ya verás cuando se lo cuente a tu padre; espera (nomás ) a que se lo cuente a tu padre; (LAm)

just shut up!

just you do!just you try it!just you dare! ¡inténtalo si te atreves!

just hold the line a moment, please espere un momento, por favor

11 (emphatic)

she's just amazing! es una mujer increíble; "that dress is awful" — "isn't it just?" —ese vestido es francamente horrible —¡y tanto!

we're managing just fine nos apañamos perfectamente

it's just perfect! ¡es absolutamente perfecto!

he's just [plain] stupid/obstinate

plain plain

12 (imagining something)

I can just hear the roars of laughter me puedo imaginar muy bien or perfectamente las carcajadas

I can just imagine her reaction me imagino muy bien or perfectamente su reacción

I can just see her face if I told her me puedo imaginar muy bien or perfectamente la cara que pondría si se lo dijese

13 (in set expressions)

just about

I've just about finished this work estoy a punto de terminar este trabajo; it's just about finished está casi terminado; I think that it was just about here that I saw him creo que yo estaba más o menos aquí cuando lo vi; I've just about had enough of this noise! ¡estoy ya más que harto de este ruido!

the incident just about ruined him

to be just about to do sth estar a punto de hacer algo; I was just about to phone estaba a punto de llamar

it was just about to rain we're just about to leave

come just as you are ven tal como estás

leave it just as it is déjalo tal como está; just as you wish como usted quiera; just as I thought! ¡ya me lo figuraba or imaginaba!; ¡lo que yo me figuraba or imaginaba!

just in case por si acaso

just in case it rains por si acaso llueve; por si llueve; I've prepared some extra food, just in case he preparado comida de más, por si las moscas (informal) or por si acaso

just a minute!just one moment! (coming) ¡un momento, por favor!; ¡voy!

just a minute, I don't know if I agree with that ... un momento, no sé si estoy de acuerdo con eso ...

just the same, I'd rather ... de todas formas, prefiero ...

it just [so] happens ... I'd just as soon you didn't do it

that's just too bad! ¡qué lástima!; ¡qué mala pata! (informal)

but I'll miss the party - well, that's just too bad! you should have thought of that earlier he'll be very upset - that's just too bad. I can't take everybody's feelings into consideration

it's just as well menos mal

it's just as well it's insured menos mal que está asegurado; I wasn't expecting much, which was just as well no esperaba mucho, y menos mal; it would be just as well if we checked the prices más valdría que comprobásemos los precios

it would be just as well if ... it would be just as well if he went it's just as well I brought my umbrella I'm taking a sleeping bag, just in case

happen soon