Spanish Connectors Flashcards
as soon as, when, once
en cuanto
The phrase “en cuanto” can mean when or “as soon as”. It can also mean “while”.
En cuanto ellos vuelvan, te llamo.
(As soon as they return, I will call you.)
La reconocí en cuanto la vi.
(I recognized her as soon as I saw her.)
En cuanto haga la tarea, voy a leer.
(Once I do my homework, I’m going to read.)
at first, at the beginning
al principio
“Al principio” means “initially”, or “at the start of something.” This phrase is commonly used at the beginning of a sentence.
Al principio no le gustaba.
(She didn’t like him at first.)
Al principio puede ser confuso.
(It can be confusing at first.)
Al principio será duro, pero todo es duro al principio.
(At the beginning it will be tough, but everything is tough at the beginning.)
in a little while, shortly after
- al rato – in a little while, shortly after
“Al rato” is a phrase that expresses time, and it can be used to express that something happened soon after something else.
Vino Karen y me trajo el libro al rato de haberse ido.
(Karen came and brought me the book shortly after she left.)
in the meantime, meanwhile, until then
- mientras tanto – in the meantime, meanwhile, until then
“Mientras tanto” is a Spanish adverbial phrase that can be used to express that an activity happens at the same time a different activity is taking place.
Yo estoy trabajando; mientras tanto, tú estás haciendo nada.
(I am working. Meanwhile, you are doing nothing.)
since then, ever since
- desde entonces – since then, ever since
For expressing that an action started to take place since a specific point in time, use “desde entonces”.
Ella dejó de comer lácteos y se ha sentido mejor desde entonces.
(She stopped eating dairy and has felt better since then.)
suddenly, all of a sudden, maybe (South America)
- de repente – suddenly, all of a sudden, maybe (South America)
The phrase “de repente” has a different meaning. It means “suddenly”. In South America, it means “maybe” and “probably”.
De repente escuchamos un gran ruido.
(Suddenly, we heard a big noise.)
De repente se le olvidó la clase.
(He probably forgot the lesson.)
in the meantime, meanwhile, until then
- mientras tanto – in the meantime, meanwhile, until then
“Mientras tanto” is a Spanish adverbial phrase that can be used to express that an activity happens at the same time a different activity is taking place.
Yo estoy trabajando; mientras tanto, tú estás haciendo nada.
(I am working. Meanwhile, you are doing nothing.)
midst, in the middle of
en medio de – midst, in the middle of
For expressing that something is in the middle of something or between two things, use the Spanish prepositional phrase “en medio de”.
¡Ten cuidado! Hay una animal en medio de la calle.
(Be careful! There is an animal in the middle of the street.)
Because
Debido a que
As/since
Ya que; puesto que
