estacionar atrás
/estaθjonaɾ atɾas/from spelling rules
To say park in back in Spanish, use estacionar atrás.
estacionar atrás names the action of leaving a car behind a building. A more descriptive way to say it is estacionar en la parte trasera. To ask whether there is parking behind a place, say ¿Hay estacionamiento en la parte trasera?
Which one should you use?
As an instruction to a customer or visitor, the polite form is Estacione en la parte trasera or Por favor, estacione en la parte posterior. Among friends, say Estaciona en la parte trasera or Parquea en la parte de atrás.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The verb estacionar is common in Latin American Spanish, while in Spain aparcar is more frequent.
How does it change in a sentence?
estacionar atrás uses the infinitive, which names the action itself. To tell someone to do it, change the verb to Estacione for formal speech or Estaciona for informal speech.
How do you pronounce it?
estacionar atrás is pronounced /estaθjonaɾ atɾas/ in Spain. In Latin America the c sounds like an s.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American regions, you might hear the word parquear used instead of estacionar. This is a direct adaptation of the English word 'park' into Spanish grammar.
- While estacionar refers to cars, the word estación also refers to the seasons of the year, as both imply a 'standing' or 'fixed' period of time.
- The word atrás comes from the Latin trāns, which means 'beyond'. This is the same root that gives English the word 'trans' used in 'transport' or 'transform'.
Examples in context
- Por favor, estacione en la parte posterior del edificio.Please park in the back of the building.
- Estaciona en la parte trasera de la casa, por favor.Park in the back of the house, please.
- Es mejor estacionar atrás para mayor seguridad.It is better to park in back for more security.
Example conversation
At a restaurant entrance.
- MaríaJavier, ¿dónde dejo el coche?Javier, where should I leave the car?
- JavierPuedes estacionar atrás del restaurante.You can park in back of the restaurant.
- María¿Hay mucho espacio para estacionar atrás?Is there a lot of space to park in back?
- JavierSí, hay muchos lugares libres.Yes, there are many free spots.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atrás, estacionar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
