Spanish Prepositions

Q: What are the most common Spanish prepositions?

A (to, at), de (of, from), en (in, on, at), con (with), sin (without), por and para (for, by), sobre (on, about), entre (between), hasta (until), desde (from, since), and hacia (toward).

Q: What is the difference between a and en?

A is for movement toward a place: Voy a la playa. En is for being in a place: Estoy en la playa. English "at" can be either one.

Q: How do you say "in," "on," and "at" in Spanish?

Usually with en, which covers all three for location: en la caja (in the box), en la mesa (on the table), en el aeropuerto (at the airport). For clock times, "at" is a: a las ocho.

Q: Which pronouns go after prepositions in Spanish?

The same as the subject pronouns, except mí and ti: para mí, para ti, para él, para nosotros. With con, it's conmigo and contigo.

Q: What form of the verb goes after a preposition?

The infinitive, where English uses -ing: antes de salir ("before leaving"), sin decir nada ("without saying anything").

Q: How do you say "think about" in Spanish?

Pensar en: Pienso en ti ("I'm thinking about you"). Many verbs take a different preposition than in English, like soñar con (dream about) and depender de (depend on).

Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.

Prepositions are the small words that link a noun to the rest of the sentence: to, from, with, in. These are the most common ones in Spanish:

ato, at
deof, from
enin, on, at
conwith
sinwithout
sobreon, about
entrebetween, among
hastauntil, up to
desdefrom, since
haciatoward
segúnaccording to
contraagainst

On this page

A: to, at

A marks where you're going, and the time something happens. A + el always contracts to al.

Mañana vamos a Sevilla.
Tomorrow we’re going to Seville.
La película empieza a las nueve.
The movie starts at nine.
¿Vienes al cine con nosotros?
Are you coming to the movies with us?

De: of, from

De covers where someone is from, who something belongs to, and what it's made of or about. De + el contracts to del.

Mi novia es de Argentina.
My girlfriend is from Argentina.
Es el coche del vecino.
It’s the neighbor’s car.
Quiero un helado de chocolate.
I want a chocolate ice cream.

En: in, on, at

For location, English has three words and Spanish has one. En covers in, on, and at.

English in, on, and at, all as en
English	Spanish
in the box	en la caja
on the table	en la mesa
at the airport	en el aeropuerto

Mis padres viven en un pueblo pequeño.
My parents live in a small town.
Las llaves están en la mesa.
The keys are on the table.
Te espero en la estación.
I’ll wait for you at the station.

En is also for how you travel (on foot is the exception: a pie), and for months, years, and seasons. More in time and dates.

Vamos a Barcelona en tren.
We’re going to Barcelona by train.
Siempre voy al trabajo a pie.
I always walk to work.
Mi cumpleaños es en mayo.
My birthday is in May.
Nos conocimos en 2015.
We met in 2015.

A or en?

English at can be either. Use a when you're moving toward a place, and en when you're already there.

Going there: aBeing there: en
Going there: a
Voy a la playa.
I’m going to the beach.
Being there: en
Estoy en la playa.
I’m at the beach.
Going there: a
Llegamos a casa tarde.
We got home late.
Being there: en
Nos quedamos en casa.
We stayed at home.
Going there: a
¿Vas al gimnasio hoy?
Are you going to the gym today?
Being there: en
Mi hermano está en el gimnasio.
My brother is at the gym.

Con and sin

Con means with and sin means without.

Un café con leche, por favor.
A coffee with milk, please.
Lo quiero sin azúcar.
I want it without sugar.
Vivo con dos amigos.
I live with two friends.

With mí and ti, con combines into one word: conmigo (with me) and contigo (with you).

¿Quieres venir conmigo?
Do you want to come with me?
Siempre me río contigo.
I always laugh with you.

Where things are

To say exactly where something is, Spanish mostly uses phrases ending in de, like encima de and debajo de. Where's the ball?

encima de la mesaon the table
debajo de la mesaunder the table
dentro de la cajainside the box
al lado de la cajanext to the box
delante de la cajain front of the box
detrás de la cajabehind the box
entre las cajasbetween the boxes
lejos de la cajafar from the box

El gato está debajo de la cama.
The cat is under the bed.
Hay un banco enfrente del hotel.
There’s a bank across from the hotel.
Mi oficina está cerca de la estación.
My office is near the station.

Desde, hasta, durante

For time, desde means from or since, hasta means until, and durante means during. For a simple range, you can also use de … a.

Trabajo desde las ocho hasta las cinco.
I work from eight until five.
La tienda abre de lunes a sábado.
The store is open Monday to Saturday.
Vivo aquí desde 2019.
I’ve lived here since 2019.
Nadie habló durante la película.
Nobody talked during the movie.

Pronouns after prepositions

After a preposition, use the subject pronouns, with two exceptions: yo becomes mí, and tú becomes ti.

Pronouns after a preposition
Subject	After a preposition	Example
yo	mí	para mí
tú	ti	para ti
él, ella, usted	él, ella, usted	para ella
nosotros	nosotros	para nosotros
ellos, ellas, ustedes	ellos, ellas, ustedes	para ellos

Este regalo es para ti.
This present is for you.
¿Qué piensas de mí?
What do you think of me?
No puedo vivir sin ella.
I can’t live without her.

Verbs with prepositions

Many verbs come with their own preposition, and it's often not the one English uses. It's best to learn them together.

pensar ento think about
Siempre pienso en ti.
I’m always thinking about you.
soñar conto dream about
Anoche soñé con mi abuela.
Last night I dreamed about my grandma.
enamorarse deto fall in love with
Se enamoró de su profesor.
She fell in love with her teacher.
casarse conto marry
Mi prima se casa con un italiano.
My cousin is marrying an Italian.
depender deto depend on
Depende del tiempo.
It depends on the weather.
aprender ato learn to
Estoy aprendiendo a nadar.
I’m learning to swim.
tratar deto try to
Trato de no llegar tarde.
I try not to be late.
acordarse deto remember
¿Te acuerdas de mí?
Do you remember me?

And a few verbs need no preposition at all, even though English has one:

buscarto look for
Busco mis llaves.
I’m looking for my keys.
esperarto wait for
Espero el autobús.
I’m waiting for the bus.
escucharto listen to
Escuchamos música.
We’re listening to music.
pagarto pay for
Yo pago la cena.
I’ll pay for dinner.

Preposition + infinitive

After a preposition, English uses the -ing form. Spanish uses the infinitive.

Lávate las manos antes de comer.
Wash your hands before eating.
Después de cenar, vimos una película.
After having dinner, we watched a movie.
Se fue sin decir nada.
He left without saying anything.

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using a for where you are
Incorrect:Estoy a casa.
Correct:Estoy en casa.
Being in a place takes en. A is for going there.
Saying a el
Incorrect:Voy a el cine.
Correct:Voy al cine.
A + el always becomes al.
Translating “think about” word for word
Incorrect:Pienso sobre ti.
Correct:Pienso en ti.
Pensar takes en.
Using yo after a preposition
Incorrect:Es para yo.
Correct:Es para mí.
After a preposition, yo becomes mí.
Saying con mí
Incorrect:¿Vienes con mí?
Correct:¿Vienes conmigo?
Con + mí is conmigo, and con + ti is contigo.
Using -ando after a preposition
Incorrect:Antes de saliendo, cierra la puerta.
Correct:Antes de salir, cierra la puerta.
After a preposition, use the infinitive.

Questions about prepositions

What are the most common Spanish prepositions?

A (to, at), de (of, from), en (in, on, at), con (with), sin (without), por and para (for, by), sobre (on, about), entre (between), hasta (until), desde (from, since), and hacia (toward).

What is the difference between a and en?

A is for movement toward a place: Voy a la playa. En is for being in a place: Estoy en la playa. English "at" can be either one.

How do you say "in," "on," and "at" in Spanish?

Usually with en, which covers all three for location: en la caja (in the box), en la mesa (on the table), en el aeropuerto (at the airport). For clock times, "at" is a: a las ocho.

Which pronouns go after prepositions in Spanish?

The same as the subject pronouns, except mí and ti: para mí, para ti, para él, para nosotros. With con, it's conmigo and contigo.

What form of the verb goes after a preposition?

The infinitive, where English uses -ing: antes de salir ("before leaving"), sin decir nada ("without saying anything").

How do you say "think about" in Spanish?

Pensar en: Pienso en ti ("I'm thinking about you"). Many verbs take a different preposition than in English, like soñar con (dream about) and depender de (depend on).

Next upPor vs. paraThe two words for "for": the reason behind vs. the goal ahead, every use, and sentences that change meaning.

A: to, at

De: of, from

En: in, on, at

A or en?

Con and sin

Where things are

Desde, hasta, durante

Pronouns after prepositions

Verbs with prepositions

Preposition + infinitive

Common mistakes English speakers make

Using a for where you are

Saying a el

Translating “think about” word for word

Using yo after a preposition

Saying con mí

Using -ando after a preposition

Questions about prepositions

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