Did you know that mastering one simple word in Spanish can greatly improve your language abilities?
That word is the short, cute, amazing and also problematic word así in Spanish.
Are you ready to learn about this game-changing Spanish word?
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What Does Así Mean in Spanish?
If you look in a Spanish-English dictionary, it’ll tell you así can mean like this, that, this way, that way, even if, so and I hope, among other meanings.
Hazlo así. (Do it like this.)
Nosotros lo cocinamos así. (We cook it this way.)
Así me quede ciego, no dejaré de mirar. (Even if I get blind, I won’t stop looking.)
¡Así te arruines! (I hope you go bankrupt!)
Following these main dictionary definitions, you’ll be presented with a long list of expressions and sample sentences that will try to show you how native Spanish speakers use this word. But do we really use them all?
As short and cute as it is, así can be a bit of a headache for learners because of its many different meanings. As you’ll see in this post, depending on the word following or preceding así, its meaning can change dramatically.
Así Uses and Expressions
1. Así + subjunctive (even if)
If así is followed by a verb in the subjunctive, it can mean one of two things: either así means even if, or the speaker is making a wish (likely a bad wish, a curse or a threat).
Así llueva a cántaros, iremos a la playa. (Even if it rains cats and dogs, we’ll go to the beach.)
In this case, así can be substituted by aunque.
No compraré uno nuevo así sea millonario. (I won’t buy a new one even if I’m a millionaire.)
¡Así te parta un rayo! (May lightning strike you!)
¡Así te quedes ciego! (I hope you go blind!)
2. Así pues (so)
Hacía frío, así pues, no salí de la cama. (It was cold, so I didn’t get out of bed.)
3. Así que (so)
This has the same meaning as así pues, but it’s much more commonly used.
Hacía frío, así que no salí de la cama. (It was cold, so I didn’t get out of bed.)
4. Así como (just like)
Quiero una así como la tuya. (I want one just like yours.)
Así como tú estudias español, yo estudio japonés. (Just as you study Spanish, I study Japanese.)
Es un chico muy guapo, como todos los polacos. (He’s a very handsome guy, as are all Polish guys.)
Yo me comeré el mío así como tú te comerás el tuyo. (I’ll eat mine and you’ll eat yours.)
5. Así se hace (that’s how you do it)
Así se hace. ¡Muy bien! (That’s how you do it. Very well!)
¡Así se hace! ¡Enhorabuena! (Well done! Congratulations!)
6. Así se dice (that’s the way you say it)
Perfecto, así se dice en español. (Perfect, that’s the way you say it in Spanish.)
7. Así se habla (well said!)
¡Así se habla, Pedro! (Well said, Pedro!)
8. Seguir así (carry on)
Si seguimos así, terminaremos muy pronto. (If we go on like this, we’ll finish very soon.)
Buen trabajo, María. ¡Sigue así! (Good job, María. Keep it up!)
9. Aun así (even so)
Estaba cansado pero, aun así, fue a la fiesta. (He was tired, but he still went to the party.)
10. Así es (that’s right)
—La amas, ¿verdad? (“You love her, don’t you?”) —Así es. (“That’s right.”)
11. Que así sea (so be it)
Si quiere seguir mintiendo, que así sea. (If he wants to keep on lying, so be it.)
¡Que así sea! (Amen to that!)
12. Asimismo (likewise)
Asimismo, me gustaría… (Likewise, I’d like to…)
13. Así mismo (the same way)
Así mismo se lo haré saber. (I’ll let him know the same way.)
14. Algo así (something like this/that)
Necesito algo así. (I need something like this.)
Algo así dijo. (He said something along those lines.)
15. Cómo así (how so)
Te dejo. (“I am leaving you.”) ¿Cómo así? (“How so?”)
16. Así es la vida (that’s life)
17. Si eso es así (if that’s the case)
Si eso es así, lo compro. (If that’s the case, I’ll buy it.)
18. No es así (that’s not the way it is)
Eso no es así. Di la verdad. (That’s not the way it is. Tell the truth.)
Estás casado, ¿no es así? (You’re married, aren’t you?)
19. ¿No es así? (isn’t it so?)
Estás casado, ¿no es así? (You’re married, aren’t you?)
20. No se hace así (that’s not how you do it)
Eso no se hace así. Deja que lo haga yo. (That’s not how you do it. Let me do it.)
21. Él/ella es así (that’s who he/she is)
Ella es así, no la vas a cambiar. (That’s who she is, you won’t change her.)
Do People Really Say Así-Así?
At some undetermined point in time, something very strange happened regarding the word así and the English expression so-so.
Somehow, as if out of nowhere, Spanish language books and even Spanish language teachers decided that the Spanish translation of so-so is así-así.
I’m a native Spanish speaker and I’ve been teaching Spanish as a second language for almost 20 years now, and I’ve never, ever neither said that nor heard any native around me utter it.
This direct mistranslation miraculously entered the Spanish-learning world and spread like wildfire.
The truth is you’ll never hear a native Spanish speaker say así-así as an answer to ¿Cómo estás? And, you shouldn’t use it. Ever. Please.
To learn natural Spanish, it’s important to actually listen to it spoken by natives as much as you can—this way you pick up nuances of the language, such as slang use and pronunciation, that you’ll never get from old textbooks.
To do this, you could opt for an immersion-based language learning program, such as FluentU. This online program teaches you Spanish the way natives really speak it with authentic Spanish videos like movie trailers, interviews, vlogs, news segments and inspirational talks—among others.
FluentU turns each video into a lesson through the use of learning tools like dual-language transcripts, clickable Spanish subtitles, multimedia flashcards and more. By hearing real Spanish in context, you can pick up how to use así properly in different situations—with no así-así to be seen.
Now you know everything you need in order to use the word así in Spanish.
Remember this word is mainly used in expressions, so learn those expressions and try to use them as often as possible with your friends or in class.
¡Así es como se aprende español! (That’s how you learn Spanish!)
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
