adelantarme a los acontecimientos
/adelantaɾme a los akonteθimjentos/from spelling rules
In Spanish, to get ahead of myself is adelantarme a los acontecimientos.
This phrase is used when you act or plan too quickly before the appropriate time or before other necessary steps have occurred. It is used as a self-correction when a speaker realizes they are jumping to conclusions or skipping steps in a story, such as in the phrase perdona, me adelanto a los acontecimientos (sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means 'to advance myself to the events'.
Which one should you use?
You may also see adelantarse a los hechos, which uses 'hechos' (facts/deeds) instead of 'acontecimientos' (events).
How does it change in a sentence?
The infinitive form used to express the general concept is adelantarse a los acontecimientos. To express the idea in the first-person singular present tense ('I am getting ahead of myself'), use me adelanto a los acontecimientos.
How do you pronounce it?
/adelantaɾme a los akonteθimjentos/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, you can use the root of this phrase to tell a guest to 'come in' by saying adelante. This transforms the idea of 'getting ahead of oneself' into a polite invitation to move forward into a space.
- The word acontecimientos is so heavy and formal that using it to describe a small mistake might sound slightly dramatic or even humorous to a native speaker.
- The word 'adelantar' in the phrase shares a root with the English word 'advance'. Both come from the idea of moving something forward in space or time.
Examples in context
- Me adelanté a los hechos y asumí que ella no estaba interesada en el proyecto.I got ahead of myself and assumed that she wasn't interested in the project.
- No quiero precipitarme y tomar decisiones apresuradas.I don't want to get ahead of myself and make hasty decisions.
- Me emocioné demasiado pronto y pensé que había ganado el premio.I got ahead of myself and thought I had won the prize.
- Perdón, no quiero adelantarme a los acontecimientos.Sorry, I don't want to get ahead of myself.
- Siento adelantarme a los acontecimientos con el plan.I'm sorry for getting ahead of myself with the plan.
- Debo tener cuidado de no adelantarme a los acontecimientos.I must be careful not to get ahead of myself.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
