by in the Oxford Spanish Dictionary

Translations for by in the English»Spanish Dictionary

I.by [Am baɪ, Brit bʌɪ] PREP by often appears as the second element of certain verb structures in English (abide by, get by, stand by, etc). For translations, see the relevant verb entry (abide, get, stand, etc).

1.1. by (not later than):

her father told her to be in by 11

el padre le dijo que volviera antes de las 11 or que a las 11 estuviera en casa

they should be there by now

ya deberían estar allí

will it be ready by 5?

¿estará listo para las 5?

by the time he arrived, most of the others had left

cuando llegó, casi todos los demás se habían ido

1.2. by (during, at):

by day he's a bank clerk and by night a barman

de día es empleado bancario y de noche barman

by day the streets are deserted

durante el día or de día las calles están desiertas

Rome by night

Roma nocturna

Rome by night

Roma de noche

2.1. by (at the side of, near to):

by

al lado de

by

junto a

she went and sat by Neil

fue y se sentó al lado de Neil or junto a Neil

come and sit by me

ven a sentarte a mi lado

come and sit by me

ven a sentarte junto a mí

come and sit by me

ven a sentarte al lado mío controvers

we spent the day by the sea

pasamos el día en la playa or junto al mar

it's right by the door

está justo al lado de la puerta

in the cafe by the station

en el café de al lado de la estación

2.2. by (to hand) Am:

I always keep some money by me

siempre llevo algo de dinero encima

do you have the letter by you?

¿tiene (usted) la carta (consigo)?

3.1. by (past):

I said hello, but he walked right by me

lo saludé pero él pasó de largo

I think we've already gone by the house

creo que ya hemos pasado la casa

let's go around by the canal

demos la vuelta por el canal

3.2. by (via, through):

by

por

I came in by the back door

entré por la puerta de atrás

by land/sea/air

por tierra/mar/avión

4. by (indicating agent, cause):

by with passive verbs The passive voice is, however, less common in Spanish than it is in English

por

she was brought up by her grandmother

la crió su abuela

she was brought up by her grandmother

fue criada por su abuela

blonde hair bleached by the sun

pelo rubio aclarado por el sol

she was haunted by his memory

su recuerdo la atormentaba

we were forgotten by all our friends

todos nuestros amigos se olvidaron de nosotros

she was accompanied by several members of her family

iba acompañada de varios familiares

a play by Shakespeare

una obra de Shakespeare

it was written by Pinter

fue escrita por Pinter

5.1. by (indicating means, method):

made by hand

hecho a mano

to travel by car/train/plane

viajar en coche/tren/avión

to pay by credit card

pagar con tarjeta de crédito

I sent the letter by registered mail

envié la carta por correo certificado

please reply by return of mail or Brit return of post

le rogamos nos conteste a vuelta de correo

she was reading by the light of a candle

leía a la luz de una vela

to navigate by the stars

guiarse por las estrellas

by moonlight

a la luz de la luna

she grabbed me by the arm

me agarró del brazo

by -ing you won't get anywhere by being negative

no vas a conseguir nada con esa actitud tan negativa

I'll begin by introducing myself

empezaré por presentarme

5.2. by (owing to, from):

by an amazing coincidence

por una de esas casualidades

she is Spanish by birth

es española de nacimiento

he had two children by his second wife

tuvo dos hijos con or de su segunda mujer

by -ing by specializing, she has limited her options

al especializarse, ha restringido sus posibilidades

by being too extreme, they have lost public support

por ser demasiado extremistas, han perdido apoyo popular

6.1. by (according to):

by that clock it's almost half past

según ese reloj son casi y media

it's a good offer by any standards

es una buena oferta se mire por donde se mire

judging by what you say

a juzgar por lo que dices

I'm only going by what I heard

solo me baso en lo que he oído

by the look of things, we're too late

por lo visto or al parecer hemos llegado demasiado tarde

is it all right by you if I smoke?

¿te importa si fumo?

that's fine by me

por mí no hay problema

6.2. by in interj phrases:

I swear by all that's holy, I never touched a hair of her head

juro por lo más sagrado que no le puse un dedo encima

by God, you'll be sorry you said that!

te juro que te vas a arrepentir de haber dicho eso

by heck, what a fuss over nothing! inf

¡Jesús! ¡cuánto lío por nada!

7.1. by (indicating rate):

by

por

to sell/buy sth by the meter/kilo

vender/comprar algo por metro(s)/kilo(s)

we are paid by the hour/batch

nos pagan por hora(s)/lote

we gathered apples by the bagful

recogimos bolsas y bolsas de manzanas

they make them by the thousand

hacen miles y miles de ellos

7.2. by (indicating extent of difference):

she broke the record by several seconds

batió el récord en or por varios segundos

I'm taller than you by an inch or two

te llevo una pulgada o dos

I'm taller than you by an inch or two

soy una pulgada o dos más alto que tú

we missed the train by seconds

perdimos el tren por unos segundos

the price has gone up by $500 in a year

el precio ha subido 500 dólares en un año

her popularity has fallen by three per cent

su popularidad ha disminuido (en) un tres por ciento

7.3. by (indicating gradual progression):

one by one

uno por uno

they went in two by two

entraron de dos en dos

they went in two by two

entraron de a dos CSur

you have to learn step by step

tienes que aprender paso a paso

he grows worse day by day

cada día está peor

he grows worse day by day

empeora día a día

little by little

poco a poco

little by little

de a poco CSur

8. by MATH:

by

por

multiply two by three

multiplica dos por tres

divide six by three

divide seis por or entre tres

a room 20ft by 12ft

una habitación de 20 pies por 12

9. by (in compass directions):

north by northeast

nornor(d)este

Phrases:

by oneself (alone, without assistance)

solo

I need to be by myself

necesito estar solo or a solas

I don't like to leave them by themselves at night

no me gusta dejarlos solos de noche

can you manage that case by yourself?

¿puedes tú solo con esa maleta?

they do their homework by themselves

hacen los deberes solos

II.by [Am baɪ, Brit bʌɪ] ADV

1. by (past):

let me by!

¡déjenme pasar!

she rushed by without seeing me

pasó corriendo y no me vio

they watched the parade march by

vieron pasar el desfile

2. by (aside, in reserve):

I try and put a little money by each week

trato de ahorrar un poco de dinero cada semana

keep some food by, just in case

aparta or reserva algo de comida por si acaso

3. by (to sb's residence):

call or stop by on your way to work

pasa por casa de camino al trabajo

4. by in phrases:

by and by by and by they came to the clearing

al poco rato llegaron al claro

it's going to rain by and by

va a llover dentro de poco

by and large

por lo general

by and large

en general

See also bye², bye¹

bye², 'bye Am [Am baɪ, Brit bʌɪ] INTERJ inf

bye

¡adiós!

bye

¡chao! esp LatAm inf

bye

¡chau! esp LatAm inf

bye¹ [Am baɪ, Brit bʌɪ] N

she got a bye into the second round

pasó automáticamente a la segunda vuelta

by the bye he mentioned it by the bye

lo mencionó de pasada

my parents weren't happy about it either, but that's just by the bye

por cierto or a propósito, a mis padres tampoco les hizo mucha gracia

scrape by VB [Am skreɪp -, Brit skreɪp -] (v + adv)

scrape by

arreglárselas

scrape by

apañárselas Spain inf

he hadn't studied for the exam, but he scraped by

no había estudiado para el examen, pero se las arregló para aprobar raspando

set by VB (v + o + adv, v + adv + o)

set by supplies

guardar

set by supplies

reservar

set by supplies

apartar

set by money

guardar

set by money

ahorrar

slip by VB [Am slɪp -, Brit slɪp -] (v + adv)

slip by years/time/days:

slip by

pasar

slip by

transcurrir

stop by VB [Am stɑp -, Brit stɒp -] (v + adv, v + prep + o)

why don't you stop by tonight?

¿por qué no (te) pasas por aquí (or por casa etc.) esta noche?

I stopped by (at) the store for some milk

pasé por la tienda para comprar leche

I.stand by VB [Am stænd -, Brit stand -] (v + adv)

1. stand by (remain uninvolved):

stand by

mantenerse al margen

people just stood by and did nothing

la gente estaba allí mirando sin hacer nada

2. stand by (be at readiness):

stand by army/troops:

estar en estado de alerta

we'll be standing by in case you need us

allí estaremos por si nos necesitan

stand by for take-off!

¡listos para despegar!

please stand by for an important announcement

por favor presten atención: se va a hacer un anuncio importante

II.stand by VB [Am stænd -, Brit stand -] (v + prep + o)

1. stand by (uphold):

stand by promise

mantener

stand by decision

atenerse a

I stand by what I said earlier

me atengo a lo que dije antes

I stand by my offer

mi oferta sigue en pie

2. stand by (support, help):

stand by friend

apoyar

stand by friend

no abandonar

tick by VB [Am tɪk -, Brit tɪk -] (v + adv) (pass)

tick by hours/minutes:

pasar

the seconds ticked by

pasaban los segundos

come by VB [Am kəm -, Brit kʌm -] (v + prep + o) (get, acquire)

come by job/money/antique

conseguir

come by job/money/antique

hacerse con

to be easy/hard to come by

ser fácil/difícil de conseguir

Jim came by this idea while reading

a Jim se le ocurrió la idea mientras leía

how did you come by that scar?

¿cómo te hiciste esa cicatriz?

I.go by VB [Am ɡoʊ -, Brit ɡəʊ -] (v + adv)

1. go by (move past):

go by

pasar

2. go by (elapse):

go by days/years:

pasar

go by days/years:

transcurrir form

as time went by …

a medida que pasaba el tiempo …

tales of days gone by

cuentos de antaño liter

in years gone by people used to …

antes or antiguamente la gente solía …

we mustn't let the occasion go by without a celebration

no podemos dejar pasar la ocasión sin celebrarlo

II.go by VB [Am ɡoʊ -, Brit ɡəʊ -] (v + prep + o)

1. go by (act, judge in accordance with):

go by instinct

dejarse llevar por

go by rules

seguir

to go by appearances

juzgar por las apariencias

they used to go by the position of the sun

se guiaban por la posición del sol

I am just going by what I was told

yo simplemente me atengo a lo que se me dijo

if previous experience is anything to go by

a juzgar por lo que ha sucedido en otras ocasiones

2. go by (be wasted) Am:

the opportunity went right by him

perdió or dejó pasar la oportunidad

I.get by VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + adv)

1. get by (manage):

get by

arreglárselas

we're not well-off, but we get by

no somos ricos pero nos las arreglamos

we're not well-off, but we get by

no somos ricos pero vamos tirando inf

to get by on sth

arreglárselas con algo

she gets by on just a few dollars a week

se las arregla con unos pocos dólares a la semana

I get by on the French I learnt at school

me las arreglo or me defiendo con el francés que aprendí en el colegio

I can get by on six hours sleep a night

puedo pasar con seis horas de sueño al día

to get by with sth

arreglárselas con algo

we'll have to get by with what we have in stock

nos las tendremos que arreglar con lo que tenemos en existencias

2. get by (pass muster):

get by

pasar

get by

salvarse

the movie gets by because of some brilliant camerawork

la película pasa or se salva gracias al brillante trabajo del camarógrafo

3. get by → get past

II.get by VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + prep + o)

get by → get past

III.get by VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + o + prep + o)

get by → get past

See also get past

I.get past VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + adv) (move past)

get past

pasar

I can't get past

no puedo pasar

II.get past VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + prep + o)

1. get past (move past):

get past vehicle

pasar

get past vehicle

adelantarse a

2. get past (pass undetected):

how did this get past the proofreader?

¿cómo se le pudo pasar esto al corrector de pruebas?

it won't get past the censors

no va a pasar la censura

3. get past (get beyond):

get past obstacle

superar

get past semifinals

pasar

he never got past fifth grade

no pasó del quinto año

you should have got past the stage when …

deberías haber superado la etapa en que …

III.get past VB [Am ɡɛt -, Brit ɡɛt -] (v + o + prep + o)

to get sth past the censor

conseguir que algo pase la censura

by in the PONS Dictionary

Translations for by in the English»Spanish Dictionary

I.by [baɪ] PREP

1. by (near):

by

cerca de

close [or near] by ...

cerca de...

to be/lie/stand by ...

estar/yacer/permanecer cerca de...

by the sea

junto al mar

2. by (at):

by

junto a

to remain by sb for two days

quedarse junto a alguien durante dos días

3. by (during):

by day/night

durante el día/la noche

by moonlight

a la luz de la luna

4. by (at the latest time):

by

para

by tomorrow/midnight

para mañana/la medianoche

by now

ahora

by then

para entonces

5. by (cause):

by

por

a novel by Joyce

una novela de Joyce

to be killed by sth/sb

ser matado por algo/alguien

surrounded by dogs

rodeado de perros

6. by (through means of):

by rail/plane/tram

en tren/avión/tranvía

made by hand

hecho a mano

to hold sb by the arm

tomar a alguien por el brazo

to go in by the door

entrar por la puerta

by doing sth

haciendo algo

7. by (through):

by chance/mistake

por suerte/error

8. by (under):

to call sb/sth by their/its name

llamar a alguien/algo por su nombre

what does he mean by that?

¿a qué se refiere con eso?

9. by (alone):

to be by oneself

estar solo

to do sth by oneself

hacer algo solo

10. by (as promise to):

to swear by God/sth

jurar por Dios/algo

11. by (in measurement, arithmetic):

to buy by the kilo/dozen

comprar por kilo/docenas

to divide by 6

dividir entre 6

to increase by 10%

aumentar en un 10%

to multiply by 4

multiplicar por 4

paid by the hour/day

pagado por hora/día

4 metres by 6

4 por 6 metros

one by one

uno a uno

12. by (from the perspective of):

to judge by appearances

juzgar por las apariencias

all right by me inf

por mí, de acuerdo

II.by [baɪ] ADV

1. by (near):

by

cerca

to put/lay sth by

poner/dejar algo a mano

2. by (in a while):

by and by

dentro de poco

3. by (past):

to go/pass by

pasar

Phrases:

by and large

en general

by PREP

User Entry

by (method)

mediante

by discussion

mediante discusión

lay by VB trans

lay by

reservar

by-product [ˈbaɪprɒdʌkt, Am -prɑ:dəkt] N

by-product

subproducto m

by-product fig

derivado m

scrape by VB intr

scrape by

apañárselas

slip by VB intr

1. slip by (pass quickly):

slip by time

pasar rápidamente

2. slip by (pass unnoticed):

slip by

pasar inadvertido, -a

let by VB trans

let by

dejar pasar

I.pass by VB intr

1. pass by (elapse):

pass by

pasar

2. pass by (go past):

pass by

pasar de largo

II.pass by VB trans

pass by

pasar algo por alto

put by irreg VB trans -tt-

put by

ahorrar

lay-by [ˈleɪbaɪ] N

1. lay-by Brit (stopping place):

lay-by

apartadero m

2. lay-by no pl Aus:

to buy/put on lay-by

comprar a plazos

by Examples from the PONS Dictionary (editorially verified)

by hook or by crook

por las buenas o por las malas

to seize sb by the arm/by the throat

agarrar a alguien del brazo/por el cuello

by and by

dentro de poco

the box measures 10cm by 10cm by 12cm

la caja mide 10 cm por 10 cm por 12 cm

to know sb by sight/by name/personally

conocer a alguien de vista/por el nombre/personalmente

to be met by a blank refusal

encontrarse con un rechazo absoluto

who lives by hope will die by hunger

con esperanza no se come prov

to postpone the trip by one week

aplazar el viaje una semana

he was struck down by lightning/cancer

un rayo/el cáncer lo fulminó

dad is coming by train/by car

papá viene en tren/en coche

by Glossary of Refrigeration Technology courtesy of GEA Bock GmbH

Translations for by in the Spanish»English Dictionary

Your search term in other parts of the dictionary

accionamiento por motor propio

driven by own motor