Basic Prepositions in Spanish
Las preposiciones básicas
Test yourself with a quick quizA handful of short words do most of the work in Spanish: a, de, en, con, por and para. Their uses don't always match English 'to', 'of', 'in', 'with' and 'for', so learn them with examples.
A: Direction, Time and People
A marks where you go, the clock time, and the person who receives something.
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Direction | Voy a Madrid. | I'm going to Madrid. |
| Clock time | La clase empieza a las nueve. | The class starts at nine. |
| Recipient | Le doy el libro a Ana. | I give the book to Ana. |
| Manner | Vamos a pie. | We're going on foot. |
| Ir a + infinitive | Voy a cocinar. | I'm going to cook. |
The Personal A
When the direct object is a specific person, or a pet you treat like one, Spanish puts a in front of it. It has no English translation. It is not used with things, or usually after tener.
De: Possession, Origin and Material
De links two nouns and replaces the English possessive 's.
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | el coche de mi padre | my father's car |
| Origin | Soy de Valencia. | I'm from Valencia. |
| Material | una mesa de madera | a wooden table |
| Contents | un vaso de agua | a glass of water |
| Type | la clase de español | the Spanish class |
| From... to | Trabajo de nueve a cinco. | I work from nine to five. |
The Contractions Al and Del
A + el always becomes al, and de + el becomes del. There is no contraction with la, los, las, or with the pronoun él.
| Words | Result | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a + el | al | Voy al cine. | I'm going to the cinema. |
| de + el | del | la casa del profesor | the teacher's house |
| a + la | a la | Voy a la playa. | I'm going to the beach. |
| de + él | de él | un regalo de él | a present from him |
Test yourself
5 quick questions on this lesson. How many can you get right?
Choose the right answer.
En and Con
En covers English 'in', 'on' and 'at' for places, plus transport, months and years. Days of the week take no preposition: el lunes. Con means 'with'; con + mí and con + ti become conmigo and contigo.
Por vs Para
Both can mean 'for'. Para looks ahead to a goal, a destination or a deadline. Por looks back to a cause, or describes a route, an exchange or a means.
| Preposition | Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| para | Purpose | Estudio para aprobar. | I study to pass. |
| para | Recipient | Este regalo es para ti. | This present is for you. |
| para | Deadline | Lo necesito para el viernes. | I need it by Friday. |
| para | Opinion | Para mí, es demasiado caro. | In my opinion, it's too expensive. |
| por | Cause | No salimos por la lluvia. | We didn't go out because of the rain. |
| por | Through, along | Paseamos por el parque. | We walk through the park. |
| por | Exchange, price | Lo compré por diez euros. | I bought it for ten euros. |
| por | Means | Te llamo por teléfono. | I'll call you on the phone. |
| por | Part of the day | Trabajo por la mañana. | I work in the morning. |
Common Mistakes
Many verbs take a fixed preposition that differs from English.
- Thinking about: say pienso en ti, not 'pienso de ti'.
- Falling in love with: say enamorarse de, not 'enamorarse con'.
- Marrying and dreaming: say casarse con and soñar con.
- Depending on: say depender de, not 'depender en'.
- Thanking: say gracias por tu ayuda, not 'gracias para tu ayuda'.
- Days: say el lunes, not 'en el lunes'.
- Forgetting the personal a: say busco a Juan, not 'busco Juan'.