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Using 'Entre'

Preposition Usually Means 'Between' or 'Among'

By , About.com Guide

The Spanish proposition entre usually means "between" or "among," although its application is broader than the English prepositions.

Entre is unusual among Spanish prepositions in that it typically is complemented by the subject pronouns yo and rather than the and ti. Thus, the correct form is to say entre tú y yo for "between you and me" rather than the entre ti y mí you might otherwise expect. You may still come across entre ti or entre mí in literature, however.

Here are the various uses of entre:

As the equivalent of the English "between" or "among":

  • Muy pronto los robots estarán entre nosotros. (Very soon, the robots will be among us.)
  • Un total de seis pasajeros entre ellos mujeres y niños ya salieron. (A total of six passengers, among them women and children, already left.)
  • No hay buenas relaciones entre la escuela y la comunidad. (There are not good relations between the school and the community.)
  • Estamos entre los europeos menos xenófobos. (We are among the less xenophobic Europeans.)
  • Entre las clases difíciles y la falta de sueño, no puedo hacer ejercicio. (Between the difficult classes and the lack of sleep, I can't exercise.)
With a meaning similar to the above, but in a way that is translated differently to English:
  • Entre la muchedumbre se encontraba un terrorista. (A terrorist was found in the crowd.)
  • Se pierden entre la nieve. (They got lost in the snow.)
  • Entre la lluvia, vio las ventanas abiertas. (She saw the windows closed in the rain.)
Entre sí to mean "among themselves" or "each other":
  • Los periodistas compiten entre sí. (The journalists compete among each other.)
  • Ellos se aman entre sí como una madre y un hijo. (They love each other like mother and son.)
  • Cuando la obsidiana se rompe y sus fragmentos se golpean entre sí, su sonido es muy peculiar. (When obsidian breaks and its fragments hit each other, their sound is very strange.)
In a few set phrases:
  • Entre tanto, las dimensiones económicas han comenzado a tomar forma. (Meanwhile, the economic dimensions have begun to take shape.)
  • Entre semana, el servicio de autobuses empieza a las 05:47. (Weekdays, bus service begins at 5:45 a.m.)
Other Prepositions

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