Sólo vs. solo in Spanish
There's a lot of confusion among people learning Spanish about these two words. Here's a short explanation:
sólo (with an accent) is the same as solamente which is an adverb that means only in English
solo (without an accent) is an adjective which means alone (and sometimes lonely) and has four forms (like any other Spanish adjective ending in "o"): solo, sola, solos, solas
Examples:
Spanish
sólo / solamente (only)
1. Sólo / Solamente nos quedan dos dólares
2. El vino sólo / solamente para quejarse.
3. Si sólo / solamente quieres eso te lo daré.
4. Sólo / Solamente me ha costado 5 dólares.
solo/a/os/as (alone / lonely)
1. Vivo solo desde hace dos años.
2. Ella está sola en este momento.
3. Mi mujer y yo nos sentimos solos en esta ciudad.
4. A mis hijas no les gusta estar solas en la casa.
English
sólo / solamente (only)
1. We've only got two dollars left.
2. He only came to complain.
3. If you only want that then I'll give it to you.
4. It only cost 5 dollars / I only paid 5 dollars.
solo/a/os/as (alone / lonely)
1. I've lived alone for two years.
2. She's alone at this moment.
3. My wife and I feel lonely in this city.
4. My daughters don't like to be alone at home.
Brad
