Spanish Prepositions: Comprehensive Guide

Complete guide to Spanish prepositions and their various uses.

A (to, at, personal a)

Direction/Destination: Voy a Madrid. (I'm going to Madrid.) Llego a las 3. (I arrive at 3.)

Personal a (before person direct objects): Veo a María. (I see María.) Conozco a tu hermano. (I know your brother.)

Time: a las tres (at three o'clock) al mediodía (at noon)

With infinitives: Empezar a estudiar (to begin to study) Aprender a bailar (to learn to dance)

De (of, from, about)

Origin: Soy de España. (I'm from Spain.)

Possession: El libro de Juan (Juan's book)

Material: Una mesa de madera (a wooden table)

Content: Un vaso de agua (a glass of water)

About: Hablar de política (to talk about politics)

With infinitives: Acabar de llegar (to have just arrived) Dejar de fumar (to stop smoking)

En (in, on, at)

Location: Estoy en casa. (I'm at home.) El libro está en la mesa. (The book is on the table.)

Transportation: en coche/autobús/avión (by car/bus/plane) BUT: a pie (on foot)

Time periods: en verano (in summer) en 2024 (in 2024)

With infinitives: Insistir en ir (to insist on going) Pensar en ti (to think about you)

Con (with)

Accompaniment: Voy con María. (I'm going with María.)

Means/Instrument: Escribo con un lápiz. (I write with a pencil.)

With infinitives: Soñar con viajar (to dream of traveling) Contar con alguien (to count on someone)

Para (for, to, in order to)

Purpose: Estudio para aprender. (I study in order to learn.)

Destination: Salgo para Madrid. (I'm leaving for Madrid.)

Deadline: Es para mañana. (It's for tomorrow.)

Recipient: Un regalo para ti. (A gift for you.)

Por (for, by, through)

Cause/Reason: Lo hago por ti. (I do it for you/because of you.)

Duration: por dos horas (for two hours)

Through/Along: Caminar por la calle (to walk along the street)

Means: por teléfono (by phone) por correo (by mail)

Sobre (on, about, over)

On top of: El libro está sobre la mesa. (The book is on the table.)

About/Concerning: Hablar sobre política (to talk about politics)

Approximately: sobre las tres (around three o'clock)

Entre (between, among)

Entre tú y yo (Between you and me) Entre amigos (Among friends)

Hacia (toward, around)

Voy hacia el norte. (I'm going toward the north.) hacia las tres (around three o'clock)

Hasta (until, up to)

Trabajo hasta las 5. (I work until 5.) Hasta luego. (See you later.)

Sin (without)

Sin azúcar (Without sugar) Sin hablar (Without speaking)

Contra (against)

Contra la pared (Against the wall) Luchar contra (To fight against)

Desde (from, since)

Desde aquí (From here) Desde 2020 (Since 2020)

Durante (during, for)

Durante el verano (During summer) Durante dos años (For two years)

Tras (after, behind)

Tras la reunión (After the meeting)

Ante (before, in front of)

Ante el juez (Before the judge)

Bajo (under)

Bajo la mesa (Under the table)

Según (according to)

Según Juan (According to Juan)

Contractions

a + el = al: Voy al cine. (I'm going to the movies.)

de + el = del: Vengo del trabajo. (I'm coming from work.)

Verbs with Specific Prepositions

acordarse de (to remember) alegrarse de (to be glad about) casarse con (to marry) depender de (to depend on) pensar en (to think about) soñar con (to dream of) tratar de (to try to)

Practice