“Incluso” in Spanish – Meaning and Use

Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on the Spanish word incluso.

incluso is one of the most frequent connectors in Spanish. In this lesson, we will explain its meaning and use, with example sentences. We will also cover the word hasta, which can be used as an alternative to “incluso” in some cases.

At the end you’ll find a Quiz and an Exercise to practice.

Meaning of “incluso”

incluso is an adverb that means even.

It introduces something that is meant to be surprising, unexpected or unusual.

Use

Here are some example sentences with the word incluso:

Tengo un perro, un gato… ¡incluso un loro!
I have a dog, a cat… even a parrot!

Incluso mis amigos lo saben.
Even my friends know it.

Iré incluso si llueve.
I’ll go even if it rains.

Alberto habla todo el tiempo, incluso cuando duerme.
Alberto talks all the time, even when he is sleeping.

An alternative: “hasta”

The word hasta has several meanings in Spanish, and one of them is even. Consequently, hasta can be used as an alternative to incluso.

Here are the same sentences again, but now using hasta:

Tengo un perro, un gato… ¡hasta un loro!

Hasta mis amigos lo saben.

Iré hasta si llueve. 

Alberto habla todo el tiempo, hasta cuando duerme.

In general, incluso tends to sound better in more formal settings, and hasta when we speak more colloquially.

Practice

Quiz

Take this short Quiz about the word “incluso”:

Exercise

Fill the gaps with “incluso” or “hasta”, choosing the word you think sounds a bit better in each case. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) El cambio climático afecta incluso a las zonas más frías del planeta.
Climate change affects even the coldest parts of the planet.

2) ¡ Hasta tú hablas español!
Even you speak Spanish!