siempre
always
Something that is true at every point in time
Encoding Strategies:
linguistic
Semper Fi
always faithful
(Marine Corps motto)
Siempre means always and comes from the Latin word semper0, as in the Marine Corps motto Semper Fi0 ("Always Faithful"0).
siempre
always
Indicates that something happens at all times or on every occasion.
- Siempre dice la verdad = He always tells the truth
at least, still (concessive)
What is always true still holds even when things go badly, so it becomes the minimum you can claim.
- 'Siempre es mejor que nada' -> 'It's at least better than nothing.'
para siempre
forever
'Para' expresses direction or purpose and turns "always" into a goal that extends forward without end.
- Te amaré para siempre = I will love you forever
por siempre
forever (more literary)
"Por" expresses duration, turning "always" into something that spans all of time.
- Recordado por siempre = Remembered forever
siempre que
whenever
When something always happens, it happens every time that situation occurs.
- Siempre que llueve, llevo paraguas = Whenever it rains, I carry an umbrella
as long as, provided that
"Always (in the case) that" a hypothetical situation happens, something else happens. That something else is conditional on the hypothetical situation.
- Siempre que estudies, aprobarás = As long as you study, you will pass
- Siempre que pagues la entrada, puedes entrar = As long as you pay the admission, you can enter
siempre y cuando
as long as, provided that
"Always, and (each time) when" a hypothetical situation happens, something else happens. That something else is conditional on the hypothetical situation.
- Puedes usar mi coche siempre y cuando lo devuelvas con gasolina = You can use my car as long as you return it with gas
- Te presto el dinero siempre y cuando me lo devuelvas el viernes = I'll lend you the money provided that you pay me back on Friday
de siempre
usual, lifelong, longstanding
"De" characterizes something by where it comes from, so something that is "of always" is defined by its permanence.
- Es el bar de siempre = It's the usual bar (It's the bar of forever)
- Es una tradición de siempre = It's a long-standing tradition (It's a tradition of forever)
- Es mi amigo de siempre = He's my lifelong friend (He's my friend of forever)
desde siempre
since forever, forever, always
"Desde" marks a starting point in time, so "desde siempre" means something has been true since always — from the very beginning.
- Desde siempre me ha gustado el café = I've always liked coffee (Since forever I've aliked the coffee)
- Lo conozco desde siempre = I've known him forever (I've known him since forever)