Academic Spanish Phrases & Parts of Speech
Here’s a list of some more academic phrases that will help your writing skills and make you sound like more of a competent, proficient speaker and writer!
a partir de ___ = starting from ___, From ___ on
actualmente = nowadays, in the present day
hoy en día = nowadays, in the present day
con respecto a = with respect to, regarding
en absoluto = absolutely not, not at all
alrededor de = around, surrounding
a su alrededor = all around
en torno a = about, concerning, around
acerca de = about, concerning
cerca de = circa (date/time period), close to (date/time period)
junto a = along with, by, next to
junto con = together with, in addition to
incluso = “even ___”, including
ni siquiera = “not even ___”, not including
sea lo que sea = whatever the case may be
sea como fuere = be that as it may
fuera lo que fuese = whatever it was, whatever the case may have been
cueste lo que cueste = whatever the cost
pase lo que pase = whatever happens
viniera lo que viniera/viniese = come what may
es discutible que + (subjunctive) = it’s debatable that…, one could argue that…, arguably…
sino [followed by noun] = rather
sino que [followed by conjugated verb] = rather than (doing something)
por lo visto = apparently
por el contrario = conversely, on the contrary
en cambio = however / conversely
quienquiera = whoever / whomever
por doquier = all over the place / every which way
comoquiera = how ever, in any way possible
por todos lados = everywhere [lit. “on all sides”]
por todas partes = everywhere [lit. “on every part”]
todo el mundo = everyone [lit. “the whole world”; hyperbolic]
que yo sepa = as far as I know
que yo recuerda = from what I remember
acuérdese = “keep in mind / do recall” [polite 3rd person singular command of acordarse]
nótese bien = “take note / be aware” [polite 3rd person singular command of notarse]
en todo sentido = in every sense
a todos los efectos = for all intents and purposes [sometimes seen as para todos los efectos]
por mucho/a que sea = No matter what it might be…
por mucho/a que + subjuntivo = No matter how much… [e.g. por mucho que le duela decirlo “as much as it hurt (him/her) to say it…”]
mediante = by means of, through
por medio de = by means of, through
tender a concordar con = to be inclined to agree with
coincidir con alguien = to concur with someone
coincidir en algo = to agree on/about something
estar de acuerdo = to be in agreement, to agree
tampoco = neither, either
igualmente = likewise, alike, in equal fashion
de todos modos = in any event, anyway, all the same
de todas formas = in any event, anyway, all the same
de todas maneras = in any event, anyway, all the same
el susodicho / la susodicha = the aforementioned
si fuera / fuese yo = if it were me
para mí = for me, in my opinion
en mi opinión = in my opinion
a mi parecer = in my opinion, in my mind
a su parecer = in his/her/Your/their opinion
cambiar de parecer = to change one’s mind / to have a change of heart
ser de la opinión de que = to be of the opinion that
por otro lado = on the other hand
por otra parte = on the other hand
sin embargo = nevertheless
no obstante = not withstanding
a la vez = at the same time
sumamente = extremely, incredibly
súbitamente = suddenly, without warning
por añadidura = in addition
vale la pena ___ = it is worth it to ___ [lit. “it is worth the effort/pain to ___”]
vale agregar que = it is worth adding
vale mencionar que = it is worth mentioning
cabe acotar que = it is worth noting, it is worth mentioning
hacer hincapié que = to emphasize that
se trata de = it concerns
tener que ver con / no tener que ver = to have to do with / to not have anything to do with
tener sentido / no tener sentido = to make sense / to not make sense
tener razón / no tener razón = to be right / to not be right
darse cuenta = to realize, to achieve an understanding
se entiende que… = it is understood that…
hay que entender que… = one must understand that…
hay que darse cuenta que… = one must realize that…
realizar = to make reality, to finalize, to achieve
en concreto = particularly, especially
podría decir que / (yo) diría que = I would say that…
se puede decir que… = it can be said that…
la preocupación predominante = the biggest concern
(haber) dicho eso = that being said / having said that
estar entre la espada y la pared = to be between a rock and a hard place, to be in a difficult position, to be in dire straits [lit. “to be between the sword and the wall”]
tener lugar = to take place
en lugar de = instead of, in place of
en vez de = instead of, in place of
quizá(s) = maybe, perhaps
no dar para más = to be of no use / to be be unable [lit. “to not give for more”; dar must be conjugated depending on the subject]
para nada = to no avail / without results [lit. “for nothing”]
tarde o temprano = sooner or later
de cabo a rabo = totally, completely, from head to toe [lit. “from head to tail”]
al fin y al cabo = at the end of the day, when all’s said and done
debe + infinitive = “should / has to + (do something)” [duty / obligation / responsibility]
debe de + infinitive = “must + (be / do something)” [possibility / conjecture / supposition]
Note: If you’re using numbers, whether they’re ordinal or just regular numbers, they typically get put as Roman numerals.
en el siglo XVI [dieciséis] = in the 16th century
desde el siglo XI [once] hasta el (siglo) XV [quince] = from the 11th century to the 15th
Carlos V [Carlos Quinto] = Carlos V [“Charles the Fifth”]
Isabel I [Isabella Primera] = Isabel I [“Elizabeth the First”]
But if they’re ordinal numbers not relating to royalty, it’s more common to just write it out, unless it’s a specific book that writes it with a Roman numeral.
en el capítulo tres / 3 = in chapter 3
en el tercer capítulo = in the third chapter
en la página uno = on page one
en la página tres = on page three
en su primer libro = in their first book
en su primera obra = in their first work
su octavo retrato = their eighth portrait
en su octava obra = in their eighth work
su noveno poema = their ninth poem
la novena estrofa = the ninth stanza
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