Pronunciation: [hˈe͡ɪstə] (IPA) 
Hasta is a Spanish word meaning "until". Its spelling is straightforward, with the 'h' being silent and the 'a' pronounced as in cat. The 's' is pronounced as a soft 's' in English, similar to the 's' in measurement. The 't' is pronounced as a soft 't' sound, similar to the 't' in butter. The final 'a' is also pronounced as in cat. In phonetic transcription, hasta is written as /ˈasta/ with stress on the first syllable.
Hasta is a Spanish preposition that can be used in several different contexts and has multiple meanings.
As a preposition of direction, hasta means "until" or "up to." It indicates the endpoint of a specific action or the limit of a certain position or location. For example, "Voy a caminar hasta la playa" means "I am going to walk until the beach." In this case, hasta indicates the point that the person will walk to.
Hasta is also commonly used as a preposition of time. In this context, it can mean "until," "up to," or "till." For instance, "El parque está abierto hasta las 9 p.m." means "The park is open until 9 p.m." In this case, hasta denotes the time at which the park ceases to be open.
Furthermore, hasta can function as an adverb, conveying the meaning of "even." For instance, "Incluso los adultos disfrutaron de la película" means "Even the adults enjoyed the movie." Here, hasta is used to emphasize that not only the children but also the adults enjoyed the movie.
In addition, hasta can be utilized as a conjunction meaning "until" or "that." For example, "No me iré hasta que termines" means "I won't leave until you finish." In this case, hasta serves as a conjunction linking the departure of the person to the completion of the task.
Overall, the term hasta is a versatile Spanish preposition with various meanings related to direction, time, emphasis, and conjunction, depending on its usage within a sentence.
