allá

/ah-YAH/

over there (far away)

A child pointing across a vast landscape toward a tiny, distant village nestled far away beneath distant mountains, illustrating great physical distance.

Allá is used to describe a place that is very far away, emphasizing great distance between the speaker and the destination ('over there').

allá(Adverb)

over there (far away)

a place far from both the speaker and listener

Also:

yonder

a more poetic or old-fashioned way to say 'far away'

beyond

used with 'de' as in 'más allá de' (beyond the...)

📝 In Action

Mi abuela vive allá en México.

My grandmother lives over there in Mexico.

¿Ves esa montaña allá a lo lejos? Algún día la escalaremos.

Do you see that mountain way over there in the distance? One day we'll climb it.

La felicidad está más allá de las posesiones materiales.

Happiness is beyond material possessions.

Word Connections

Synonyms

allí (there (less distant))

Antonyms

aquí (here)
acá (over here)

Common Collocations

más allá de – beyond
allá lejos – far over there / way off in the distance
allá arriba / abajo – way up there / way down there

Idioms & Expressions

el más allá – The afterlife or the great beyond.
allá tú – That's your problem; it's up to you.

💡 Grammar Points

The Four 'Theres': Aquí, Ahí, Allí, Allá

Think of distance from you in four steps. 'Aquí' is right here by me. 'Ahí' is there by you. 'Allí' is over there, far from both of us but probably visible. 'Allá' is WAY over there, often a place we can't even see, like another country.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Mixing up 'Allí' and 'Allá'

Mistake: "Mi amigo vive allí en Argentina."

Correction: Mi amigo vive allá en Argentina. 'Allí' is for a specific 'there' that's far but defined. 'Allá' is better for a much farther or unseen 'there', like another country or 'beyond the mountains'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Use 'Allá' for Vague Locations

If you don't know exactly where something is, but you know the general, far-off direction, 'allá' is the perfect word. It's less specific than 'allí'.

An adult is sitting in a brightly lit room, gazing at a small, framed illustration of a child playing in a field during a long-ago summer day, symbolizing a time 'way back' in the past.

When referring to time, allá means 'way back' or 'back then,' suggesting a distant memory or era.

allá(Adverb)

way back

referring to a distant time

Also:

back then

in a time long ago

📝 In Action

Allá por los años 80, la música era muy diferente.

Way back in the 80s, music was very different.

Recuerdo mi infancia, allá en el pueblo, cuando jugábamos en la calle todo el día.

I remember my childhood, back then in the village, when we played in the street all day.

Word Connections

Synonyms

entonces (then)
en aquel tiempo (at that time)

Antonyms

ahora (now)

Common Collocations

allá por... – way back in... (followed by a year or era)
allá en mis tiempos – back in my day

⭐ Usage Tips

Adding a Sense of Nostalgia

Using 'allá' to talk about the past adds a feeling of emotional distance and nostalgia. It's like you're looking back at a time that is very far away, just like a distant place.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: allá

Question 1 of 1

Your friend is telling you about her family who lives in Japan, on the other side of the world. Which sentence is the most natural way for her to say it?

📚 More Resources

Words that Rhyme with allá

está

acá

sofá

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the real difference between 'allí' and 'allá'?

It's all about distance! Think of 'allí' as 'over there'—a specific spot that's far away, but you can probably point to it. Think 'allá' as 'WAY over there'—a much more distant, sometimes vague place that might even be out of sight or in another country. If you're talking about another continent, always use 'allá'.

Can 'allá' move? For example, in 'vamos para allá'?

Yes, absolutely! While 'allá' by itself describes a static, faraway location, when you pair it with a verb of motion like 'ir' (to go), it means 'to there' or 'that way'. 'Vamos para allá' means 'Let's go over there'.