You're standing in a kitchen in Madrid or maybe a tiny cafe in Mexico City. You dropped your keys. They aren't on the table. They aren't next to the fruit bowl. They are somewhere else entirely. You need to tell someone they're "underneath," but your brain freezes. Most people just default to debajo, and while that works, it's kinda like wearing a tuxedo to a backyard barbecue—sometimes it's just too much, and other times it's not quite right.
Learning how to say underneath in Spanish is less about memorizing a single word and more about understanding how Spanish speakers visualize space. It's about layers.
Most students learn debajo de in their first week of Spanish 101. It’s the reliable workhorse of the language. If you say mi gato está debajo de la cama, everyone knows exactly what you mean: the cat is under the bed. But native speakers often lean on abajo or por debajo depending on whether something is moving, whether it's touching the surface above it, or if they're just being lazy with their grammar. Honestly, the nuances matter if you don't want to sound like a translation app.
The Big Three: Debajo, Abajo, and Bajo
Let's get the heavy hitters out of the way.
First, you have debajo. This is your go-to for physical location. It almost always requires the preposition de if you're mentioning the object it's under. Debajo de la mesa. Debajo del puente. It’s precise. It’s clean. It’s the literal translation of "underneath" or "below."
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Then there is abajo. People mix these up constantly. Think of abajo as "down" rather than "underneath." If you’re on the second floor of a house and your friend is on the first, they are abajo. You wouldn't say they are debajo unless they were literally flattened under the floorboards like a character in a Poe story.
Then we have bajo. This one feels a bit more formal or metaphorical. You’ll hear it in phrases like bajo control (under control) or bajo la lluvia (under the rain). It’s less about the physical "underneath" and more about the state of being beneath something else.
Why context changes everything
Spanish is a "verb-framed" language, whereas English is "satellite-framed." This is a fancy way of saying that in English, we love adding little words like "up," "down," "out," or "underneath" to verbs to change their meaning. In Spanish, the verb often does the heavy lifting itself.
If you want to say something is "hidden underneath," you might use the verb esconder. But if you're talking about a layer of clothing, you might use debajo.
"I'm wearing a thermal shirt underneath my sweater."
In Spanish: Llevo una camiseta térmica debajo del jersey.
Notice how debajo sits there comfortably. It describes a layer. But if you were talking about someone being "underneath" a heavy burden of work, you’d probably jump back to bajo. Está bajo mucha presión. It just sounds more natural.
How to Say Underneath in Spanish for Specific Situations
Stop thinking in direct translations for a second. Language doesn't work like a math equation. It’s more like a vibe.
Take the word subterráneo. If you’re talking about something literally underneath the earth, like a subway or a secret tunnel, you aren't going to use debajo as often as you'll use a specific adjective.
What about por debajo? This is the "underneath" of movement or comparison. If a ball rolls "underneath" a car, you might say pasó por debajo del coche. The por adds that sense of "through" or "along." It’s dynamic.
- Use debajo de for stationary physical objects.
- Use abajo for direction or general "downward" locations.
- Use bajo for abstract concepts or poetic descriptions.
- Use por debajo de when there’s motion involved or you’re talking about "less than" (like being under a certain age or price).
Real-world check: If you go to a hardware store in Spain and ask for something "underneath" the counter, you'll say debajo del mostrador. But if you're telling a dog to get "down," you shout ¡abajo! See the difference? One is a location, the other is a direction or a command.
The "Soto" and "Sotta" confusion
You might occasionally run into old-school terms or regionalisms. In some very specific architectural contexts or older literature, you might see soto, but honestly, forget it exists for daily conversation. Stick to the basics.
I once heard a learner try to use inferior to mean underneath. While parte inferior means "lower part," just saying inferior makes it sound like you're judging the quality of the object. Don't tell someone your shoes are inferior when you mean they're under the chair. They'll just think you have a low opinion of your footwear.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
The biggest "gringo" mistake is forgetting the de.
English: Underneath the table.
Bad Spanish: Debajo la mesa. Good Spanish: Debajo de la mesa.
In Spanish, debajo is an adverb that needs that little bridge (de) to connect to the noun. Without it, the sentence feels like it's missing a limb. It’s jarring to a native ear.
Another weird one? Abajo de. Now, listen. Purists and the Real Academia Española (RAE) will tell you that abajo de is technically incorrect and you should always use debajo de. But here’s the thing: people say abajo de all the time in Latin America. It’s colloquial. It’s "wrong" in a textbook but "right" on the street. If you want to be safe, use debajo. If you want to blend in with your buddies in Buenos Aires, abajo de won't get you kicked out of the party.
Is it Underneath or Below?
In English, we use these almost interchangeably. In Spanish, the distinction is often about contact.
If something is directly underneath and perhaps touching, debajo is perfect. If something is just "lower than" something else—like a valley below a mountain—you might use más abajo or por debajo.
Example: The temperature is "below" zero.
La temperatura está bajo cero. (Not debajo, because it's a measurement).
Regional Flavors of "Underneath"
In Argentina, they might say abajo for everything. In Spain, they are a bit more protective of debajo.
But what about when "underneath" isn't a place, but a person's character? Like "underneath it all, he's a good guy."
En el fondo, es un buen tipo. En el fondo literally means "at the bottom." This is a brilliant example of why learning how to say underneath in Spanish requires you to look past the dictionary. If you said debajo de todo, es un buen hombre, people would look at you like you were looking for a body buried under his floor. Use en el fondo for people.
Actionable Tips for Mastering the Concept
If you really want to nail this, stop translating in your head. It’s a trap. Instead, visualize the relationship between two objects.
- Physical contact/Strictly under: Debajo de.
- Directional/Downstairs: Abajo.
- Under a layer/Sheet/Water: Bajo.
- Metaphorical/Emotional: Bajo or En el fondo.
Start by labeling things in your house. Put a sticky note under your desk that says debajo del escritorio. Put one on the bottom of your shoe that says la suela está abajo.
Actually, don't do that last one. It'll just get dirty.
The next time you're watching a show in Spanish—maybe Casa de Papel or Club de Cuervos—listen for whenever someone hides something. They’ll almost always use debajo.
Final drill:
Try saying these three sentences out loud right now.
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- El gato está debajo de la silla. (The cat is underneath the chair.)
- Tuve que bucear bajo el agua. (I had to dive under the water.)
- Viven en el piso de abajo. (They live on the floor below/underneath.)
See how the meaning shifts? It’s subtle, but it’s the difference between speaking Spanish and just reciting words.
Practice using debajo de as your default, but keep your ears open for how locals swap it for abajo. You'll notice that the more informal the setting, the more people play fast and loose with the rules. Just remember that de after debajo, and you'll already be ahead of 90% of other students.
Get out there and start pointing at things. Is it bajo? Is it debajo? Is it abajo? Eventually, you won't have to ask. You'll just know.
Identify five common objects in your immediate surroundings and describe their location using debajo de. Then, find one abstract concept—like being under a deadline or under a spell—and practice using bajo to describe it. This dual approach solidifies the distinction between physical and figurative "underneath" in your daily vocabulary.