Apenas
Example: Apenas llegué, comenzó a llover intensamente.
Definition
"Apenas" is an adverb used to indicate that something happens immediately after another event or that something happens scarcely or barely. For example, in the phrase "Apenas llegué, comenzó a llover intensamente," it means 'as soon as' or 'hardly.'
Etymology
The word "apenas" comes from the Latin 'appena,' meaning 'almost not' or 'barely.' It evolved in Spanish to express the idea of something happening just at a moment or barely occurring. Did you know that its meaning can change slightly depending on context, from 'hardly' to 'as soon as'?
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"Apenas" appears in the Vocaplus list "Spanish - General - (B1) - set 1", containing 119 commonly used words.
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