Unit 16: Translation considerations (part 5)
16.2 Compound Adverbs
Some adverbs in Spanish take compound forms, whether or not they are formed by one or two words in English. While you may be able to deduce the meaning of these in context, some are less obvious than others. Among the most common ones are:
| al revés | upside-down |
| al revés (de dentro para fuera) | inside out |
| allá abajo | way down below |
| allá arriba | way up above |
| allí arriba | up there |
| aquí abajo | down here |
| aquí arriba | up here |
| calle abajo | down the street |
| calle arriba | up the street |
| cuesta abajo | down (the) hill |
| cuesta arriba | up (the) hill |
| hacia aquí | this way (toward here) |
| hacia atrás | backward |
| hacia delante | forward |
| para adelante | forward |
| poco a poco | little by little |
Other adverbial phrases may be formed by a plus the feminine plural form of an adjective, present participle or past participle. Among the most common are:
| a ciegas | blindly |
| a escondidas | secretly, on the sly |
| a gatas | on all fours |
| a hurtadillas | stealthily |
| a oscuras | in the dark |
| a sabiendas | knowingly, wittingly, consciously |
| a solas | alone |
