If you’re learning Spanish, you may have noticed that there are different ways to express a concept. This is the case with the word again. This word is very common in daily-life conversations, it’s important that you know how to say ‘again’ in Spanish with different terms.
In Spanish, the word ‘again’ has different translations. The difference between these terms is their degree of formality and the different grammatical elements that they may work with. Here are the most common ways to say ‘again’ in Spanish.
- Otra vez
- Nuevamente
- Una vez más
- De nuevo
- Volver a
Since the word again allows us to express repetition, it’s important that you know how to use it in Spanish. For that reason, we’ve compiled 5 common and basic ways to say this word. Additionally, you’ll find real-life examples and structures that can help you understand how to apply each one of these words.
By the end of this, you’ll have increased your vocabulary and you’ll know how to say ‘again’ in Spanish like a native speaker.
1. Otra vez – Again
As you may have already known, otra vez is the direct translation of the word ‘again’. And, as a result, it’s one of the most common ways to say this word in Spanish. The advantage of this expression is that it’s a standard term which means that you can use it in formal and informal situations.
Otra vez is an adverb, therefore, it’s always expressing the repetition of an action. If you’re having trouble with placing this word in a sentence, here is a basic structure that you can follow:
[Verb conjugated] + [complement] + otra vez
Ayer comí pizza otra vez
Yesterday I ate pizza again
¿Quieres ir a la tienda otra vez?
Do you want to go to the store again?
¿Están viendo la misma película otra vez?
Are you guys watching the same movie again?
Maestra, ¿puede poner la canción otra vez?
Teacher, can you play the song again?
Although adverbs are usually placed after the verb, conversational Spanish is more flexible. As a result, you may find that, in some informal situations, otra vez is placed at the beginning of the sentence:
Otra vez + [verb conjugated] + [complement]
Otra vez comí pizza
I ate pizza again
Take Note: Even though it looks very similar, la otra vez is not used to express repetition. Instead, this expression indicates when an action took place in the past and it can be translated as ‘last time’ or ‘the other time’.
2. Una vez más – One more time
Una vez más is a common expression that also indicates repetition. As a result, it’s another popular way to say ‘again’ in Spanish. Una vez más can be translated as:
- Again
- One more time
- Once again
This expression is slightly more formal and polite than ‘otra vez’, but it can still be used in casual and formal circumstances. Since it expresses repetition and it’s more formal, ‘una vez más’ is widely used in school and office environments.
Below you’ll find some examples and a basic structure that you can use to build your own expressions:
[Verb conjugated] + [complement] + una vez más
David pintó su casa una vez más
David painted his house one more time
Necesitamos tu ayuda una vez más
We need your help again
Ustedes vieron la película una vez más
You guys saw the movie one more time
¿Quieren que repita la canción una vez más?
Do you want me to repeat the song once again
Remember that in this case, Spanish is very flexible. So you may find una vez más at the start of the sentence:
Una vez más, necesito tu ayuda
I need your help again
3. De nuevo – Again
Another way to say ‘again’ in Spanish is by using the expression de nuevo. Like other phrases from this list, ‘de nuevo’ can be applied in both formal and informal situations. Since this expression is very common, you should definitely add it to your Spanish vocabulary.
De nuevo can be translated either as ‘once again’ or simply ‘again’.
[Verb conjugated] + [complement] + de nuevo
Me gustaría verte de nuevo
I would like to see you again
Voy a repetir la canción de nuevo
I’m going to repeat the song again
Tabatha fue al supermercado de nuevo
Tabatha went to the supermarket again
Joel quiere ir a Madrid de nuevo
Joel wants to go to Madrid once again
Unlike other structures from this list, de nuevo doesn’t have the flexibility to be placed at the beginning of the sentence without affecting how natural your Spanish sounds.
4. Volver a… – Again
Even though many new learners may not be aware of it, ‘volver a’ also expresses repetition. As a result, it’s a very common way to say ‘again’ in Spanish. ‘Volver a’ can be applied in both formal and informal situations. In fact, it’s very useful in daily-life conversations.
Like many expressions from this list, ‘volver a’ is used to express that an action or event is being repeated again. Depending on the context, this expression can be translated as:
- Again
- Go back
- Do again
Notice that the phrase structure for this expression is a little bit different from others:
[Volver conjugated] + a + [verb in infinitive]
Paco volvió a hablarme ayer en la noche
Paco called me again last night
Vuelvan a hacer este proyecto, por favor
Please, do this project again
Cindy y Paulina volvieron a estudiar español
Cindy and Paulina went back to study Spanish
Volveré a ver esta película porque me gustó mucho
I’ll see that movie again because I like it very much
Take Note: Without the preposition ‘a’, volver means to return. Although this word is a synonym of ‘regresar’, regresar cannot be used as a way to say again. Here you can check more about the difference between volver and regresar.
5. Nuevamente – Again
When it comes to say ‘again’ in a formal environment, nuevamente may be your best option. Due to the formality of this word, ‘nuevamente’ is widely used in books, newspapers, meetings and other formal situations.
But even though this word may not be used in casual conversations, it’s still a pretty common term. Depending on the context, nuevamente can be translated as ‘again’ or ‘once again’. Below you’ll find some examples of how to use this word:
[Verb conjugated] + nuevamente
Corregimos el proyecto nuevamente
We corrected the project once again
Les voy a compartir la información nuevamente
I’m going to share the information with you again
Daniel y Jonathan fueron a Madrid nuevamente
Daniel and Jonathan went to Madrid once again
Voy a repetir la grabación nuevamente, pongan atención
I’m going to repeat the recording once again, pay attention
Wrapping Up
Learning different words to say again in Spanish will allow you to be able to talk about the repetition of an action without using the same word over and over. For that reason, in this article, we’ve compiled 5 common words and expressions that mean again in Spanish.
We learned that nuevamente is the most suitable for formal expressions and that even though volver a… works with verbs it can still be used to express repetition. We also mentioned that otra vez, de nuevo and una vez más are very common expressions that mean ‘again’.
Now that you have a better idea of the words that you can use, it’s up to you to choose the best option for you. Buena suerte 🙂