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encima

/en-THEE-mah/ (Spain) or /en-SEE-mah/ (Latin America)/enˈθi.ma/ (Spain) or /enˈsi.ma/ (Latin America)

“encima” means “on top of” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

on top of, on, above, over

A bright red apple resting directly on top of a simple blue rectangular box, illustrating the concept of 'on top of'.

📝 In Action

Las llaves están encima de la mesa.

A1

The keys are on top of the table.

El avión vuela por encima de las nubes.

A2

The plane flies above the clouds.

Ponte la chaqueta por encima, que hace frío.

A2

Put the jacket on over (your clothes), it's cold.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • encima de la mesa – on top of the table
  • por encima de – over / above
  • quitar de encima – to get rid of / to shake off

Idioms & Expressions

  • tener a alguien encima – to have someone breathing down your neck or constantly watching you

on top of that, in addition, besides

Also: to make matters worse
AdverbB1informal
A simple cartoon bear struggling to carry a tall, unstable stack of colorful blocks. A single, large raindrop is falling from a small gray cloud directly onto the topmost block, symbolizing an additional problem.

📝 In Action

El coche no arranca y, encima, está lloviendo.

B1

The car won't start and, on top of that, it's raining.

Me ayudó con la mudanza y encima me invitó a cenar.

B1

He helped me with the move and, in addition, he bought me dinner.

Trabajo mucho, gano poco y encima mi jefe me grita.

B2

I work a lot, I earn little, and to make matters worse, my boss yells at me.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • además (besides / furthermore)
  • para colmo (to top it all off)

Common Collocations

  • y encima... – and on top of that...

🔀 Commonly Confused With

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "encima" in Spanish:

besides→in addition→on→over→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: encima

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'encima' to mean 'on top of that' or 'to make matters worse'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
cima(summit, peak, top) — Noun
encimar(to place on top) — Verb
🎵 Rhymes▼
climarimaestimavíctima
📚 Etymology▼

Comes from joining two older words: 'en' (in, on) and 'cima' (top, summit). 'Cima' itself comes from the Latin 'cyma', which meant the 'topmost shoot of a plant'. So, 'encima' literally means 'on the top'.

First recorded: Around the 13th century.

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: em cimaGalician: enribaCatalan: a sobre

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Frequently Asked Questions

What's the real difference between 'encima de' and 'sobre'?

They are very close cousins! For physical location, you can often use them interchangeably. 'Encima de' is a bit more specific about being directly 'on top of' something. 'Sobre' can also mean 'about' (like a book 'about' history), while 'encima' never means that. When in doubt for physical location, 'encima de' is a great choice.

Do I always have to say 'de' after 'encima'?

You need 'de' when you are saying what object something is on top of (e.g., 'encima DE la mesa'). If you're just pointing and saying 'Put it on top!' without specifying the surface, you can use 'encima' by itself: '¡Ponlo encima!'