Prepositions bajo, abajo, debajo (de) meaning "under"

Written by qualified Spanish expert Inma Sánchez BA

Last updated: 2022-06-20

In Spanish there are different words that can express "under".

Learn how to say "under" in Spanish

Debajo de (preposition)

To express "under" as in "under a place/location" we commonly use the preposition "debajo de ...". This is when we say "under something". Using debajo de is the most common way to express under something.

For example:

Tus zapatos están debajo de la mesa.Your shoes are under the table.

Escondió su diario debajo de la cama.He hid his diary under his bed.

Miguel vivió debajo de un puente durante dos semanas.Miguel lived under a bridge for two weeks.

Remember you MUST include the preposition "de" when it means under something.

Incorrect: Tus zapatos están debajo la mesa.

Debajo or Abajo (adverb)

To simply say something/someone is underneath, under there, down there, down here, below - as an adverb, we use debajo or abajo (without de). Debajo and abajo are interchangeable in most cases but debajo is generally more precise and abajo a bit more vague.

For example:

Tus zapatos están aquí debajo.Your shoes are here underneath.

-¿Encima de los papeles? - No, debajo.-On top of the papers? -No, underneath (below them).

Estoy abajo, en el sótano.I am down here, in the basement.

Busca en la estantería. Seguramente estén abajo, no arriba.Look on the shelves. They are probably at the bottom, not at the top.

Bajo (preposition)

another Spanish preposition used with exactly the same meaning as debajo de but bajo is slightly more formal.

Unlike debajo de, we use bajo without "de".

For example:

Los enamorados se sentaron bajo el árbol y se susurraron al oído.The lovers sat beneath the tree and whispered in each other's ears.

Era tan vergonzosa que siempre me escondía bajo la falda de mi madre.I was so shy that I always hid under my mother's skirt.

For example, It is incorrect to say:

Me escondía bajo de la falda de mi madre.

Note that we do not use bajo as an adverb, so this is incorrect:

No estoy arriba, estoy bajo.

Bajo (other meanings)

The Spanish preposition bajo is very versatile; it doesn't always literally refer to a physical location but can express a figurative meaning; generally it conveys a sense of dependency, subordination or influence:

Condujo bajo la influencia del alcohol y perdió su licencia.He drove under the influence of alcohol and lost his licence.

Estos dos niños están bajo mi tutela.These two children are under my care/protection/guardianship.

Bajo la dictadura de Pinochet desaparecieron muchos ciudadanos.Under/during the Pinochet dictatorship lots of citizens disappeared.

Ha escrito sus novelas bajo un seudónimo para captar más lectores.He has written his novels under/using a pseudonym to gain more readers.

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