allá

Allí is a Spanish adverb of place that means “there.” It designates a location that is not the speaker’s immediate vicinity and is often used with verbs of location or motion to indicate where something or someone is or is headed. For example: La tienda está allí; Vamos allí cuando termine.

In usage, allí is commonly distinguished from nearby spatial terms such as ahí and allá. Ahí typically refers to a place closer to the listener or to a point just mentioned, while allí marks a location farther away than ahí and often toward a point no longer in the immediate surroundings. Allá signals even greater distance or a more indefinite, possibly scenic, location. In many contexts, allí and allá can be interchangeable, but speakers may choose based on desired nuance or regional habit. Phrases like allí mismo or allí donde add emphasis or specify a precise or recurring location.

Orthography and pronunciation: the word carries an accent on the í, indicating stress on the last syllable, in keeping with Spanish stress rules. Phonologically, the initial consonant cluster al- is pronounced with a typical Spanish sound, and lallí is often realized with a y-like or palatal sound for the ll, depending on dialect.

Etymology traces allí to the Latin demonstrative illī via medieval Spanish development. It has long been used in standard Spanish to refer to a place distinct from the speaker or the listener, serving as a flexible term in spatial expressions.