Today’s Spanish word of the day is “hasta”.
It’s a preposition that can translate as “until”, “up to” or “as far as” depending on the context.
You’ve probably heard the word “hasta luego” (“see you later”), “hasta mañana” (“see you tomorrow”) and “hasta la vista” (“see you”). Interestingly, the phrase “hasta la vista” is very well known among English speakers, probably because of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s use of it in Terminator 2, but it’s rarely used by native Spanish speakers.
The word “hasta” can also be used to mean “even” when emphasizing a point, for example:
- Hasta un niño podría hacerlo. – Even a child could do it.
The word “hasta” is thought to come from Classical Arabic ḥattá, meaning “up to this point”, which was influenced by Latin ad ista (“up to that”) to form Spanish “hasta”.
Example sentences
Camina hasta la esquina y dobla a la derecha.
Walk up to the corner and turn right.
Esperé hasta el último momento para invitarla a salir.
I waited until the last moment to ask her out.
El autobús va hasta el centro.
The bus goes to downtown.
Seguiré estudiando español hasta que entienda a los chilenos.
I’ll keep studying Spanish until I understand the Chileans.
Hasta los expertos se equivocan.
Even experts make mistakes.
