dar un paso atrás
/daɾ un paso atɾas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "take a step back" is translated into Spanish as dar un paso atrás.
You can use dar un paso atrás both literally, to describe physically moving your body backward and figuratively, to describe reconsidering a situation or distancing yourself from a conflict. For a more elegant way to advise someone to reflect before acting, you can say Reflexionar antes de actuar.
Meaning: Translations (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from dar (to give), un paso (a step) and atrás (back/behind).
Which one should you use?
You can also use dar un paso hacia atrás to more specifically emphasize the direction of the movement by adding hacia (towards).
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense "took a step back", you must conjugate the verb dar. For example, you would say dio un paso atrás.
How do you pronounce it?
/daɾ un paso atɾas/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the concept of 'giving a step' is used in many idioms, such as dar un paso al frente to signify bravery or taking a stand.
- The word paso shares an unexpected history with the English word 'pace'. Both descend from the Latin 'passus', which originally referred to the act of spreading or stretching out one's limbs.
- While 'take a step back' uses the English verb 'take', the Spanish equivalent uses dar, which literally means 'to give'. This reflects a common linguistic pattern where English uses 'take' and Spanish uses 'give' for certain actions.
Examples in context
- Le sugiero que dé un paso atrás y evalúe la situación con calma.I suggest you take a step back and calmly evaluate the situation.
- Olvídate por un momento de todo y toma distancia.Forget about everything for a moment and take a step back.
- Debes dar un paso atrás para ver mejor la imagen.You should take a step back to see the image better.
- Él decidió dar un paso atrás en la discusión.He decided to take a step back from the argument.
- Vamos a dar un paso atrás y analizar la situación.Let's take a step back and analyze the situation.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are discussing a stressful project at work.
- Daniel¿Crees que deberíamos dar un paso atrás con este plan?Do you think we should take a step back with this plan?
- LucíaSí, Daniel, necesito calmarme un poco primero.Yes, Daniel, I need to calm down a bit first.
- DanielTienes razón, Lucía, la situación es muy tensa.You are right, Lucía, the situation is very tense.
- LucíaHablemos de esto mañana con más calma.Let's talk about this tomorrow with more calm.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “take a step back” translations and entries dar un paso atrás, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atrás, dar, paso, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
