by
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by
BY
by 1
(bī)by 2
(bī)by
(baɪ)by
by1
(baɪ)prep., adv., adj., n., pl. byes. prep.
by2
(baɪ)interj.
by-
by
By is most often used in passive sentences. If something is done or caused by a person or thing, that person or thing does it or causes it.
When an -ed word is used like an adjective to describe a state rather than an action, it is not always followed by by. Some -ed words are followed by with or in.
If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that time.
Be Careful!
By can only be used with this meaning as a preposition. Don't use it as a conjunction. Don't say, for example, 'By I had finished my lunch, we had to leave'. You say 'By the time I had finished my lunch, we had to leave'.
You can use by to say that someone or something is at the side of a person or object.
Be Careful!
Don't use 'by' with the names of towns or cities. Don't say, for example, 'I was by Coventry when I ran out of petrol'. You say 'I was near Coventry when I ran out of petrol'.
By can be used with some nouns to say how something is done. You don't usually put a determiner in front of the noun.
However, if you want to say that something is done using a particular object or tool, you often use with, rather than 'by'. With is followed by a determiner.
You can use by with an -ing form to say how something is achieved.
Adv. | 1. | by - so as to pass a given point; "every hour a train goes past" |
2. | by - in reserve; not for immediate use; "started setting aside money to buy a car"; "put something by for her old age"; "has a nest egg tucked away for a rainy day" |
by
by
[baɪ]the house by the church → la casa que está al lado de or junto a la iglesia
come and sit by me → ven y siéntate a mi lado or junto a mí
I've got it by me → lo tengo a mi lado
"where's the bank?" - "it's by the post office" → -¿dónde está el banco? -está al lado de or junto a la oficina de correos
the house by the river → la casa que hay junto al río
BUT a holiday by the sea → unas vacaciones en la costa
he came in by the back door/by the window → entró por la puerta de atrás/por la ventana
which route did you come by? → ¿por dónde or por qué camino or por qué ruta viniste?
I went by Dover → fui por Dover
she walked by me → pasó por delante de mí
he rushed by me without seeing me → pasó deprisa por delante de mí sin verme
we drove by the cathedral → pasamos con el coche por delante de la catedral
by night → de noche
by day he's a bank clerk and by night he's a security guard → de día es un empleado de banco y de noche es guarda de seguridad
BUT a postcard of London by night → una postal nocturna de Londres
we must be there by four o'clock → tenemos que estar allí para las cuatro
can you finish it by tomorrow? → ¿puedes terminarlo para mañana?
I'll be back by midnight → estaré de vuelta antes de or para la medianoche
applications must be submitted by 21 April → las solicitudes deben presentarse antes del 21 de abril
by the time I got there it was too late → cuando llegué ya era demasiado tarde
it'll be ready by the time you get back → estará listo para cuando regreses
by that time or by then I knew → para entonces ya lo sabía
by yesterday it was clear that → ayer ya se veía claro que ...
by 30 September we had spent £500 → a 30 de septiembre habíamos gastado 500 libras
by 1998 the figure had reached → en 1998 la cifra había llegado a ...
by 2010 the figure will have reached → hacia el año 2010 la cifra habrá llegado a ...
to rent a house by the month → alquilar una casa por meses
letters were arriving by the sackload → las cartas llegaban a montones
it seems to be getting bigger by the minute/day → parece que va creciendo minuto a minuto/día a día
to sell sth by the dozen → vender algo por docenas
we get paid by the hour → nos pagan por horas
we sell by the kilo → vendemos por kilos
we charge by the kilometre → cobramos por kilómetro
little by little → poco a poco
one by one → uno tras otro, uno a uno
two by two → de dos en dos
the thieves were caught by the police → los ladrones fueron capturados por la policía → la policía capturó a los ladrones
BUT surrounded by enemies → rodeado de enemigos
a painting by Picasso → un cuadro de Picasso
who's that song by? → ¿de quién es esa canción?
he had a daughter by his first wife → tuvo una hija con su primera mujer
by air [travel] → en avión; [send] → por avión, por vía aérea
by bus/car → en autobús/coche
to pay by cheque → pagar con cheque
made by hand → hecho a mano
by land → por tierra
by the light of the moon/a candle → a la luz de la luna/de una vela
by rail or train → en tren
by sea → por mar
he ended by saying that → terminó diciendo que ...
by my watch it's five o'clock → según mi reloj son las cinco
by my calculations → según mis cálculos
BUT to call sth by its proper name → llamar algo por su nombre
it's all right by me → por mí no hay problema or está bien
if that's okay by you → si no tienes inconveniente
we beat them to Joe's house by five minutes → llegamos a casa de Joe cinco minutos antes que ellos
broader by a metre → un metro más ancho
she's lighter than her brother by only a couple of pounds → pesa sólo un par de libras menos que su hermano
it's too short by a metre → es un metro más corto de lo que tendría que ser
it missed me by inches → no me dio por un pelo, me pasó rozando
to divide by → dividir por or entre
to multiply by → multiplicar por
by oneself → solo
he was all by himself → estaba solo
I did it all by myself → lo hice yo solo
don't leave the two of them alone by themselves → no los dejes solos
south by southwest → sudsudoeste, sursuroeste
they wouldn't let me by → no me dejaban pasar
she rushed by without stopping → pasó a toda prisa, sin pararse
by and by I'll be with you by and by → enseguida estoy contigo
you'll be sorry by and by → no tardarás en arrepentirte
by and by we heard voices → al poco rato oímos unas voces
close or hard by → muy cerca
by and large → en general, por lo general
to put sth by → poner algo a un lado
by
[ˈbaɪ]The thieves were caught by the police → Les voleurs ont été arrêtés par la police.
killed by lightning → tué(e) par la foudre
a book by Balzac → un livre de Balzac
a painting by Picasso → un tableau de Picasso
by car → en voiture
by train → en train
to pay by cheque → payer par chèque
by saving hard, he ... → à force d'économiser, il ...
all by himself → tout seul
all by herself → toute seule
I did it all by myself → Je l'ai fait tout seul.
"Where's the bank?" - - "It's by the post office." → "Où est la banque?" - - "Elle est à côté de la poste."
She sat by his bed
BUT Elle était assise à son chevet.
by the sea (= beside) → au bord de la mer
a holiday by the sea → des vacances au bord de la mer
We have to be there by 4 o'clock → Nous devons y être avant quatre heures.
by night → la nuit, de nuit
by this time tomorrow → d'ici demain à la même heure
by the time ... → quand ..., lorsque
By the time I got there it was too late → Quand or lorsque je suis arrivé, il était déjà trop tard.
It'll be ready by the time you get back → Ça sera prêt quand or lorsque vous reviendrez.
by the kilo → au kilo
by the metre → au mètre
paid by the hour → payé(e) à l'heure
to increase by the hour → augmenter d'heure en heure
to divide by 3 → diviser par 3
a room 3 metres by 4 → une pièce de 3 mètres sur 4
it's wider by a metre → c'est plus large d'un mètre
The bullet missed him by inches → La balle est passée à quelques centimètres de lui.
it's 3 o'clock by my watch
BUT il est 3 heures à ma montre.
it's all right by me, that's fine by me → je n'ai rien contre, ça me va.