Voted Best Answer
Mar 04, 2011 - 04:18 PM
As i understand it, atrás means 'behind/backwards' as in backwards motion. Detrás and the adverbial phrase, detrás de means 'behind' as in a static position. That said, I checked with my Spanish teacher about usage in Spain vs Latin American countries. In Spain, they will differentiate between the two but in Latin American countries, atrás de is generally used for both meanings.
Detrás de la mesa....behind the table. In Spain they wouldn't say atrás de la mesa but in LA countries they would use atrás de.
Dar un paso atrás .....to move a step backwards is an example of how atràs would be used.
That's about all I know! Hopefully someone else can provide more info. It's an interesting usage question.
Detrás de la mesa....behind the table. In Spain they wouldn't say atrás de la mesa but in LA countries they would use atrás de.
Dar un paso atrás .....to move a step backwards is an example of how atràs would be used.
That's about all I know! Hopefully someone else can provide more info. It's an interesting usage question.