al sur de
/al suɾ de/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "south of" is al sur de.
al sur de is used to describe a place that is located in a direction toward the south from another location.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a contraction of a el sur de, which literally means "to the south of".
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between being outside a boundary and being inside one. Use al sur de to indicate a location outside a boundary (south of), whereas en el sur de is used to indicate a location within a specific region (in the south of).
How does it change in a sentence?
When the word following al sur de is a masculine singular noun starting with el, the de el part contracts to del. For example, you would say al sur del ecuador.
How do you pronounce it?
/al suɾ de/
Did you know?
- The Spanish word sur is actually a linguistic immigrant. Although it sounds very different from the English 'south', it was borrowed from the French word sud, which itself traces back to the Old English word 'suþ'.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, the term el Sur is used as a proper noun to describe a specific cultural and socio-economic identity rather than just a compass direction.
Examples in context
- Francia está al sur de Inglaterra.France is to the south of England.This sentence shows how to use al sur de to describe a country's position relative to another.Tatoeba #1702111 by teskmon, translation #34176 by CK
- Quito, Ecuador, está un poco al sur del ecuador.Quito, Ecuador, is a little south of the equator.This sentence demonstrates how the phrase undergoes a contraction when followed by a masculine noun.Tatoeba #1427705 by peibolvig, translation #65335 by CM
- El sueño de Tom es vivir en un pequeño pueblo al sur de Francia.Tom's dream is to live in a small town in the south of France.This sentence shows how to use al sur de to describe a location within a specific country.Tatoeba #1690802 by marcelostockle, translation #1690594 by Spamster
- Miami está al sur de Nueva YorkMiami is south of New York
- Viajo hacia el sur de España cada veranoI travel towards the south of Spain every summer
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are looking at a map in a cafe.
- María¿Está la estación al sur de este hotel?Is the station south of this hotel?
- MateoNo, está un poco más al norte.No, it is a little further north.
- MaríaEntiendo, entonces el centro está al sur de la estación.I see, so the center is south of the station.
- MateoExacto, así es.Exactly, that is right.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, sur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
