delante
/delante/from spelling rules
The Spanish word delante means "in or toward the front of someone or something."
delante is used to indicate that something or someone is in front or ahead. When expressing a specific location with this word, it is common to use the verbs estar or quedar. The opposite of delante is detrás, which means "behind."
Which one should you use?
Use delante alone when there is no object following it, such as in the sentence "He is in front." However, when you are using it as a preposition followed by a noun, you must add de to form the phrase delante de, which means "in front of."
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the word in a sentence, it is usually paired with the preposition de if a noun follows it.
How do you pronounce it?
/delante/
What mistakes should you avoid?
A common error for English speakers is using delante followed directly by a noun. Always remember to include de (forming delante de) when you are specifying what is being stood in front of.
Did you know?
- While delante describes location, the phrase ¡Adelante! is used as a polite way to say 'come in' when someone knocks on a door.
- The word delante shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'ant', through the Latin root 'ante', which relates to being 'before' or 'at the front'.
- While English uses 'in front of' to mean both location and direction, Spanish users must be careful because delante focuses on position, whereas enfrente is often used for the physical location across a street or space.
Examples in context
- La niña estaba delante del coche.The girl was in front of the car.
- Siéntate delante de mí.Sit in front of me.
- Está delante de la puertaIt is in front of the door
- La iglesia queda delante del parqueThe church is in front of the park
- El coche está delante de la casa.The car is in front of the house.
- ¡Mira hacia delante!Look forward!
- No te pongas delante de la televisión.Don't stand in front of the television.
- Camina delante de mí para que te vea.Walk in front of me so I can see you.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are walking in a crowded park.
- ElenaDaniel, por favor camina delante de mí.Daniel, please walk in front of me.
- Daniel¿Por qué? Hay mucha gente aquí.Why? There are many people here.
- ElenaNo veo nada si voy detrás.I can't see anything if I go behind.
- DanielEstá bien, iré delante de ti.Okay, I will go in front of you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries delante, CC BY-SA 4.0.
