Prepositions: A, En, De

Introduction

A, en, and de are the three most frequent prepositions in Spanish. Each one covers a range of meanings that don't map neatly to a single English word. Rather than translating, learn the categories each preposition handles.

A (to, at)

Direction / Destination

• Voy a la tienda. — I'm going to the store.
• Llegamos a Madrid. — We arrived in/at Madrid.
• Viajamos a España. — We traveled to Spain.

Time

• La clase empieza a las ocho. — The class starts at eight.
• A las tres salimos. — At three we leave.

Personal "a" (before a person who is a direct object)

• Veo a mi madre. — I see my mother.
• Llamo a Juan. — I call Juan.
• No conozco a nadie. — I don't know anyone.

This has no English equivalent. Whenever a person is the direct object, insert a before them.

Distance / Speed

• Está a dos kilómetros. — It's two kilometers away.
• Íbamos a cien kilómetros por hora. — We were going at 100 km/h.

After certain verbs

• Empezar a — to begin to: Empecé a estudiar.
• Aprender a — to learn to: Aprendo a cocinar.
• Ir a — to be going to: Voy a comer.
• Ayudar a — to help to: Me ayudó a entender.

Contractions

• a + el = al: Voy al parque. (Not a el.)

En (in, on, at)

Location (inside / on / at)

• Estoy en la oficina. — I'm at the office.
• Vive en México. — He lives in Mexico.
• El libro está en la mesa. — The book is on the table.
• Está en el cajón. — It's in the drawer.

En covers "in," "on," and "at" for static location. Context determines the meaning.

Transportation (means of)

• Voy en carro. — I go by car.
• Viajamos en avión. — We travel by plane.
• Viene en bicicleta. — He comes by bicycle.

Exception: On foot = a pie (not en pie).

Time (months, years, seasons)

• En enero hace frío. — In January it's cold.
• Nací en 1995. — I was born in 1995.
• En verano vamos a la playa. — In summer we go to the beach.

After certain verbs

• Pensar en — to think about: Pienso en ti.
• Confiar en — to trust in: Confío en ella.
• Insistir en — to insist on: Insiste en pagar.

De (of, from, about)

Origin

• Soy de Colombia. — I'm from Colombia.
• El vino es de España. — The wine is from Spain.

Possession / Material / Content

• El carro de mi padre. — My father's car. (the car of my father)
• Una mesa de madera. — A wooden table. (a table of wood)
• Un vaso de agua. — A glass of water.

Topic (about)

• Hablamos de política. — We talk about politics.
• El libro de historia. — The history book. (book about history)

Time (starting point, part of day)

• De las cinco a las siete. — From five to seven.
• De noche llueve. — At night it rains.
• Son las tres de la tarde. — It's three in the afternoon.

After certain verbs

• Tratar de — to try to: Trato de entender.
• Dejar de — to stop: Dejé de fumar.
• Acabar de — to have just: Acabo de llegar.

Contractions

• de + el = del: Vengo del parque. (Not de el.)

Common Confusions

Practice