Inklingo

How to Say "towards" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “towards” is “a” — use 'a' when indicating general movement in the direction of a place or person, often implying arrival but not necessarily the ultimate goal.

English → Spanish

a

aha

prepositionA1general
Use 'a' when indicating general movement in the direction of a place or person, often implying arrival but not necessarily the ultimate goal.
A small red bird flying in the air, clearly moving toward a large green tree on the horizon.

Examples

Camino a la escuela.

I am walking towards school.

Voy a la tienda.

I am going to the store.

Llegamos a Madrid ayer.

We arrived in Madrid yesterday.

El niño se acercó a su madre.

The boy approached his mother.

Direction and Destination

Use 'a' when expressing movement toward a physical place or goal. Think of it as the opposite of 'de' (from).

Contraction 'al'

If 'a' is followed by the masculine article 'el' (the), they must combine to form 'al'. Example: Voy al cine (I go to the cinema). This is mandatory.

Forgetting 'al'

Mistake: “Voy a el parque.”

Correction: Voy al parque. (The contraction 'al' is required when 'a' meets 'el'.)

para

PAH-rahˈpaɾa

prepositionA2general
Use 'para' to express the intended final destination of a trip or movement, emphasizing the endpoint of the journey.
A map showing a dotted-line path from a house icon to an office building icon, indicating a destination.

Examples

Este tren va para Madrid.

This train is going towards Madrid.

Salgo para la oficina en cinco minutos.

I'm leaving for the office in five minutes.

Vamos para la playa este fin de semana.

We are going to the beach this weekend.

Setting a Destination

Use 'para' to talk about the final destination of a journey. While 'a' also means 'to', 'para' often emphasizes the endpoint of the trip.

Direction vs. Destination

Mistake: “Camino para el parque. (If you just mean you're walking in that direction).”

Correction: Camino hacia el parque. Use 'hacia' for 'towards' a general direction. Use 'para' when the park is your final, intended stop.

'A' vs. 'Para' for Direction

The most common mistake is using 'a' when 'para' is needed to clearly state the final destination. Remember, 'para' specifies where you are ultimately going, while 'a' can be more general direction.

Related Translations

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