Encima vs. por encima

[laepelba]

When do you use "encima de" and when do you use "por encima de"?

THANKS!!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

The examples that occur to me right now:


Encima -> something is on top of something else.

·Las tijeras están encima del escritorio. -> The scissors are on the desk.
·No pongas los pies encima de la mesa. -> Don't put your feet on the table.
·Deja los papeles ahí encima. -> Leave the documents over there.
·Tenemos muchos problemas encima. -> We're dealing with too many problems at a time.
·Me insultó y encima, me empujó. -> He insulted me and he even pushed me.


"Por encima" -> Used for something that floats over something else or moving on top of something else; also something dealt with superfluously.

·Hay un teleférico que pasa por encima de la ciudad. -> There's a funicular above the city.
·El presidente está por encima de los secretarios. -> The president is above the secretaries.
·La podadora les pasó por encima a mis pensamientos. -> The loan mower crushed my pansies.
·Las granadas pasaban volando por encima de la cabeza del reportero. -> Grenades flew above the reporter's head.
·No vas a pasar por encima de mi autoridad. -> You're not trampling over my authority.
·Leí el capítulo por encima, porque no tuve tiempo de estudiar a profundidad. -> I just cast a glance at the chapter, because I didn't have time to study it thoroughly.
·Limpié la casa por encima para que no se viera tan sucia. -> I quickly cleaned the house so it wouldn't look so dirty.

[laepelba]

VERY interesting! Thanks, Malila!

First of all, you used the word "funicular" in an English sentence, and I'm not sure I've ever heard it before.... The dictionary says "cable car", so I'll take their word for it. I would guess that most Americans of average educational background don't know the word....

Secondly, I have some vague recollection of a friend of mine talking to his son during dinner and saying something in Spanish about "do you want your gravy on your mashed potatoes or on the side" and I could swear I remember him using "por encima de" las papas.... Does that sound right to you? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

Well, I'm going to need to study those examples - they're great!! Thank you SO much for the time you spent writing them!!

[chileno]

Pretty much what Angelica said.

In the case of "las papas" it should been "encima"

In the case of the lights over the picture, it would be "por encima de"

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

First of all, you used the word "funicular" in an English sentence, and I'm not sure I've ever heard it before.... The dictionary says "cable car", so I'll take their word for it. I would guess that most Americans of average educational background don't know the word....!!

Off-topic, but funicular is a perfectly good English word, even if cable-car has taken over. Funiculus is Latin, diminutive of funis, rope. Funicular was an adjective meaning pertaining to a little rope, and a funicular (railway) "is one for the ascent of a mountain, specifically, one in which the weight of an ascending car is partly or wholly counterbalanced by the weight of a descending car."

I thought you might like to know.


Meanwhile, I'm glad you started this thread. I had understood that encima was motionless (=on), and por encima indicated motion (=onto), but the examples show that this is not correct.

[aleCcowaN]

If I were to describe how it is used, I'd said something like:

encima = (static) placed "firmly" on
por encima = dynamic or placed on but barely touching it

prefiere el "gravy" encima de las papas (description of placement)
prefiere el "gravy" por encima de las papas (depicts the act of pouring it in such a way by means of a ladle)

saltó por encima de la cerca = she jumped over the fence
miraba por encima de su hombro tratando de leer lo que estaba escribiendo= he looked over her shoulder trying to read what she was writing.

some figurative senses:

leyó el libro por encima, de ahí que se sacara 4 en el examen = she very briefly went over the book, hence the D she got in the test.
no puedo sacarme a mi jefe de encima = I can't get my boss off my back

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I agree with Alec's examples.

Originally Posted by laepelba

First of all, you used the word "funicular" in an English sentence, and I'm not sure I've ever heard it before.... The dictionary says "cable car", so I'll take their word for it. I would guess that most Americans of average educational background don't know the word....

Perikles has already replied (thank you, by the way.)
It was the immediate word that came to me... perhaps next time I'll want to use a dictionary for more universal terms.

Originally Posted by laepelba

Secondly, I have some vague recollection of a friend of mine talking to his son during dinner and saying something in Spanish about "do you want your gravy on your mashed potatoes or on the side" and I could swear I remember him using "por encima de" las papas.... Does that sound right to you? Or am I remembering incorrectly?

I would say "encima de las papas", but perhaps he had in mind the act of serving them, which implies the motion Alec illustrated.

Originally Posted by Perikles

I had understood that encima was motionless (=on), and por encima indicated motion (=onto), but the examples show that this is not correct.

I think the examples correspond with such idea, apart from the figurative use for "superficialmente".

[laepelba]

Actually, the father was holding the ladle with the gravy and asking if the son wanted it poured over the potatoes. This whole discussion (including the information about the word funicular) is very interesting!! Thanks, all!!

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by laepelba

(including the information about the word funicular)

And this was composed to commemorate the first funicular on Mount Vesuvius:



As explained here

[laepelba]

Seriously? That is what that song is about? CABLE CARS!!?? Wow....