All 3+ Ways To Say ‘Over There’ in Spanish

To express “over there” in Spanish, you’ll need a variety of words and phrases depending on the context. Generally, allá is your go-to adverb for “over there,” but you’ll also find allí and ahí useful when referring to a Spanish noun that’s not so far away.

Allá, allí, and ahí are Spanish adverbs of place that provide detail about the location of people or objects. You’ll find this essential part of speech in Spanish useful when telling someone to “go over there,” pointing out a person or object’s location, and discussing where a place is located.

Allá

Ask anyone who’s studied Spanish how to say “over there” in Spanish, and they’ll likely say allá. The word allá is the most direct translation of “over there” and indicates that a person or object is really far from both the speaker and the listener in a conversation. Allá is what you’d use when telling someone where the bathrooms are while at a crowded music festival.

Allá is commonly used with, but not limited to, the frequently used verbs “to be” and “to go” in Spanish. Here’s how to use it in context:

Ve allá y siéntate en ese banco. = Go over there and sit on that bench.
El café está allá. = The café is over there.
Mis amigos están esperando allá. = My friends are waiting over there.
Los taxis allá se ven diferentes de los taxis de aquí.= The taxis over there look very different from the ones here.

Allí

Although it typically translates to just “there,” allí can also be used to express “over there” in Spanish, referring to a noun that is still far away from the speaker but at a slightly closer distance than allá.

Similar to allá, allí can also be used to say “go over there” in Spanish, in addition to other common phrases you’ll say to show the distance to a person, place, or object.

Ve allí y ayúdala. = Go over there and help her.
El baño está allí, a la derecha. = The bathroom is over there to the right.
El perro está jugando allí, en el jardín. = The dog is playing over there in the garden.
Sí, ahora nuestro tío Roberto vive en esa granja. Esta tarde podemos ir hasta allí en el carro. = Yes, Uncle Roberto lives on that farm now. We can drive over there this afternoon.

Ahí

Ahí conveys “over there” when a person or object is neither aquí (here) nor allá (far away) from the speaker. Aquí is a useful adverb of place to answer the common question “Where are you?” in Spanish, whereas ahí can be helpful when describing the location of an object.

Mira, ¡están ahí! = Look, they’re right over there!
Tu chaqueta está ahí, en la silla. = Your jacket is over there on the chair.

Be aware that the words hay (there is/are), ahí (there), and ay (oh) are pronounced similarly in Spanish, but they have very different meanings. You can nail the pronunciation of ahí and other adverbs of place with Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech recognition technology, ensuring clear and effective communication in Spanish.

Use por to indicate a less specific location for ‘over there’ in Spanish

By adding the Spanish preposition por in front of allá, allí, or ahí, you can provide a more general location of a person or an object. Imagine you’re describing where something is, but you can’t pinpoint the exact spot. You can use por to turn “over there” into the less-specific “somewhere over there” or “around there somewhere.”

Here’s how por is used with these adverbs of place:

Mis padres viven por allá, en el campo. = My parents live over there out in the countryside.
Busca un buen sitio por allí, cerca de los árboles. = Look for a good spot over there near the trees.
Creo que dejé mis llaves por ahí. = I think I left my keys over there somewhere.

If adverbs like allá seem a little intimidating, don’t worry. Comfort comes with practice. Once you’re in the habit of using all the variants—ahí, allí, allá, and their “por” counterparts—using the right term for any situation will feel natural.

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