“Además” in Spanish – Meaning and Use

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

además is one of the most frequent connectors in Spanish. In this lesson, we will explain its meaning and use. We will also covert the phrase además de.

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

“además”

además is an adverb. It expresses the addition of a new element to an idea or to a series of things.

además can be translated as:

• in addition
• furthermore
• moreover
• besides
• also

It is common to place a period right before además and a comma right after it:

El hotel es bonito. Además, tiene una piscina increíble.
The hotel is beautiful. Also, it has an amazing pool.

Voy a explicar el problema. Además, expondré posibles soluciones.
I will explain the problem. In addition, I will outline possible solutions.

But sometimes we use it without any periods or commas:

El anillo es muy caro y además no me gusta.
The ring is very expensive and besides, I don’t like it.

“además de”

además de (…) can be translated as:

• in addition to (…)
• as well as (…)
• besides (…)

además de is always followed by a word or phrase that completes its meaning.

Nuestra universidad tiene edificios modernos además de buenos profesores.
Our university has modern buildings as well as good teachers.

Además de manzanas, compramos naranjas.
In addition to apples, we buy oranges.

Además de trabajadora, eres inteligente.
In addition to being hard-working, you are smart.

Practice

Quiz

Take this short Quiz about “además”:

Exercise

Fill the gaps choosing between “además” and “además de”. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) El perro es bueno además de bonito.
The dog is good as well as beautiful.

2) No tengo tiempo y además no quiero.
I have no time and besides I don’t want to.

3) La película es entretenida. Además , el final es muy emocionante.
The movie is entertaining. In addition, the ending is very exciting.

4) Los pendientes son feos además de caros.
The earrings are ugly as well as expensive.