alrededor
/alredeˈdoɾ/
The Spanish word alrededor means "around."
When you want to express being in or moving to a circular area surrounding a specific point, or when you want to express an approximation of a number, the phrase becomes alrededor de.
Which one should you use?
Use the adverb alrededor alone to describe an action occurring in a general vicinity, such as "They walked around." Use the phrase alrededor de when you need to specify a physical location or an approximate number.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a preposition to mean "around" a specific object or "approximately" a number, the word must be followed by the preposition de.
How do you pronounce it?
/alredeˈdoɾ/
Did you know?
- When referring to an approximate time, Spanish speakers frequently use sobre, which literally means 'over' or 'on top of', instead of alrededor de.
- The Spanish verb rodear, which means 'to surround' or 'to go around', shares the same linguistic root as rueda, the word for 'wheel'.
- While alrededor describes a circle, the phrase en torno a is used in Spanish to describe a circle of discussion or a central theme of a debate.
Examples in context
- El parque se encuentra alrededor del centro de la ciudad.The park is located around the city center.
- En torno a las ruinas se encuentra un hermoso paisaje natural.Around the ruins, there is a beautiful natural landscape.
- Hay alrededor de diez personas esperando en la fila.There are around ten people waiting in the line.
- Hay un jardín alrededor de la casa.There is a garden around the house.
- Nos vemos alrededor de las tres.We'll see each other around three o'clock.
- Hay mucha gente alrededor de la fuente.There are many people around the fountain.
- Caminamos alrededor del lago.We walked around the lake.
- Dibujó un círculo alrededor del punto.She drew a circle around the point.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are looking for a lost key in the garden.
- JavierNo encuentro la llave por ningún lado.I can't find the key anywhere.
- ElenaBusca alrededor del arbusto, Javier.Look around the bush, Javier.
- JavierYa miré allí y no hay nada.I already looked there and there is nothing.
- ElenaMira mejor alrededor de la base.Look closer around the base.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry alrededor, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
