hacia
toward
The Spanish word for 'toward' is 'hacia'. It is typically used to indicate the direction or orientation of something. For example, where in English you would say 'I am going toward the store', in Spanish you would say 'Voy hacia la tienda'. Just as in English, it can also be used in more abstract senses, like 'Hacia' can also mean 'towards' in the sense of being in favor of, or partial to, something or someone.
Example sentences using: hacia
Hacia el futuro
Towards the future
Here, 'hacia' is used figuratively to refer to a direction in time, not in a spatial sense.
Gira hacia la derecha
Turn to the right
Here 'hacia' is used as part of a direction or instruction - turning towards/onto the right.
Mira hacia arriba
Look up
'Hacia' can also be used with relative directions, as in this case where 'arriba' means above or upwards.
Hacia el sur está el mar
Towards the south is the sea
In this sentence, 'hacia' is used to indicate the general directional location of a particular geographic feature, the sea.
Voy hacia la escuela
I'm going towards the school
In this sentence, 'hacia' is used to indicate the direction in which the speaker is moving. Here, they're going towards the school.
Corre hacia el parque
Run towards the park
In this phrase, 'hacia' is used in a command. It indicates the direction where one should run which is the park in this case.
Vuela hacia las nubes
Fly towards the clouds
In this sentence, 'hacia' is used to indicate the direction in which an action needs to be done - flying towards the clouds.
Conducía hacia el centro
I was driving towards the center
Here, 'hacia' conveys the direction of an action that was being done in the past - driving towards the center.
Avanza hacia la meta
Advance towards the goal
In this context, 'hacia' helps indicate the objective of an action - advancing/moving towards a goal.
Hacia el norte hace frío
It's cold to the north
In this sentence, 'hacia' is used to provide some information about a direction in general - the north being cold.