Español en serio
Aún vs Aun in Spanish: The Accent That Changes the Meaning
Dieser Beitrag erklärt ein wichtiges Thema der spanischen Grammatik (Text auf Englisch).
🔴 Crazy little thing called accent
The little stick on top of some vowels is called an accent. Spanish has only one accent mark, whereas some other languages, like French, have several. In general, the Spanish accent shows where the stress falls. But there are some cases where we use it to distinguish two words with the same form and different meanings. For example:
Tú (you) Tu (your)
Él (he) El (the masculine article)
Sí (yes) Si (if)
These are only examples, but there are more cases. I will write a whole blog post about this topic. Here, we use accents to distinguish twins. With babies, you can dress one in blue and the other in red. With words, we can do the same using an accent. And this is exactly what happens with “aún” and “aun”. So remember: accents are really important.
🔴 Still/yet or even
You have a blog where I explain “todavía vs ya” and another one about “todavía no vs ya no”. So by now, you know that “todavía” is “still, yet”. Well, “aún” is a synonym of “todavía”, so you can choose between:
Todavía no lo entiendo. Aún no lo entiendo – the meaning is the same:
I don’t understand it yet.
Now, take a look at this phrase:
Pagaría cien libras y aun doscientas por ese producto – now, the meaning is:
I would pay £100 and even £200 for that product.
🔴 This is what you need to remember:
Aún means still/yet and is a synonym of todavía.
Aun means even and has no accent.
One tiny accent, two different meanings.
If you are learning Spanish and find explanations like this helpful, I offer personalised online Spanish lessons for students and adults worldwide, including GCSE and A-Level preparation.
Lessons are available in English or German, and I offer a free initial consultation. You can contact me at laura@spanishforlondon.com.
Example from the episode
“Y todavía no puedo quedarme quieta”.
Read the full episode here →
Episode 15
Book your first free demo lesson, with no obligation on your behalf, at laura.@spanishforlondon.com.
Bachelor’s degree in Literature (University of Buenos Aires). Spanish and Literature teacher. Researcher and author of Los premios Nobel de literatura. Una lectura crítica (University of Seville). More than 30 years’ experience teaching Spanish to international students.
One-to-one lessons via Zoom.
Abschluss in Literaturwissenschaft (Universität Buenos Aires). Lehrerin für Spanisch und Literatur. Forscherin und Autorin des Buches Los premios Nobel de literatura. Eine lectura crítica (Universität Sevilla). Über 30 Jahre Erfahrung im Unterricht von Spanisch als Fremdsprache.
Einzelunterricht über Zoom.
