Cerca vs. acerca vs. cercano?

Question

What is the exact difference between these words? If I were to translate, for instance, “I am near the bank”, which one of the following would be the best way to go and why: 1. *Estoy cerca del banco*. 2. *Estoy acerca del banco*. 3. *Estoy cercano al banco*. I just read this line on some website discussing **cerca** vs. **cercano**: *Tenemos una casa cercana al aeropuerto*. Why would one be advised to use **cercana a** instead of **cerca de** in this construct?

Answer 1

The words "cerca," "acerca," and "cercano" can be confusing due to their similarities, but they have distinct meanings and uses.



1. Cerca typically means "near" or "close" and is used to indicate proximity in terms of distance. It's often followed by "de" when indicating location relative to something else. For example:
2. Estoy cerca del banco means "I am near the bank."
3. Acerca usually means "about" or "concerning" and is often used in the phrase "acerca de" to discuss topics or subjects. It wouldn't fit well in your example about physical location near a bank. For instance:
4. Hablamos acerca del banco means "We talked about the bank."
5. Cercano means "near" or "close" as an adjective, describing something that is nearby. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies. When used to describe proximity similar to "cerca," it often follows the noun and is used with "a" or "al." For example:
6. Estoy en un lugar cercano al banco would mean "I am in a place near the bank." However, Estoy cercano al banco sounds less natural for simply stating you're near the bank; it's more suited for describing the proximity of one place or thing to another.

Regarding the sentence Tenemos una casa cercana al aeropuerto, "cercana" is used as an adjective to describe "casa," indicating the house is near the airport. You could also say Tenemos una casa cerca del aeropuerto, but there's a subtle difference:

1. Cerca del aeropuerto directly states the location's proximity to the airport.
2. Casa cercana al aeropuerto describes the house itself as being close to the airport, which might be more relevant when the proximity to the airport is a notable feature of the house.

In your example, the best translation for "I am near the bank" would be:

1. Estoy cerca del banco. This is the most direct and natural way to express proximity in this context.

Answer 2

The easiest way to remember the difference is to remember that cercano is always an adjective. It requires a noun. Cerca is an adverb. It modifies a verb.

Examples:

Voy a visitar mi amigo cercano. Nosotros tenemos una amistad cercana. (I a going to visit my close friend. We have a close friendship.)

No necesito gafas para ver de cerca. (I don't need glasses to see up close.)

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