Las preposiciones or prepositions are short words used to link two words, phrases or sentences. In some cases, they are used before a noun or a pronoun and after some adjectives and verbs. In others, they’re used before infinitive verbs which ends in -ar, -er, ir. Prepositions in the spanish language are connectors which establish relationships between two words.
Spanish prepositions are words that don’t change unlike other words. They don’t have numbers or gender. This means, they aren’t singular or plural, nor masculine or femenine. Prepositions are used to give information about time, place, manner or reason.
In the Spanish language there are 21 prepositions: some of them are simple and some others are compound which means they are a group of words functioning as prepositions.
In the english language, the most used prepositions are at, by, to, under, above, in, into, among others. Spanish simple prepositions are:
de, a, en, por, con, para, sin, sobre, hasta, entre, desde, hacía, contra, bajo, ante, según, tras, mediante, durante.
Spanish compound prepositions are:
delante de, detrás de, encima de, enfrente de.
Learning prepositions in the Spanish language can be a little bit hard since in most cases there isn’t a direct equivalent of each of them in the English language. Las preposiciones or propositions are used differently in both languages so there are some rules to take into consideration before using them in spoken language.
In the English language you can end a phrase or a sentence with a preposition whereas in the Spanish language this isn’t possible. No phrase or sentence in the Spanish language can end in a preposition. So as to learn them correctly is important to do it in a sentence or in context.
A is one of the most widely used prepositions in the spanish language. This preposition is used to indicate place and can be translated as to or at in the english language. When it’s followed by the singular masculine article el you simply combine them to form al.
| Nunca fui a Nueva York | I’ve never been to New York |
| Voy al supermercado | I’m going to the supermarket |
| ¿Vamos a navegar? | Shall we go sailing? |
| No pude entrar a mi oficina hoy | I couldn’t get into my office today |
| Le di las llaves a tu hermana | I gave the keys to your sister |
| Escribe un mensaje a tu mamá | Write a message to your mom |
A can be translated as at when talking about the time, prices and rates, someone’s age or specific places when the main verb implies movement.
| Cenamos a las 8 pm | We have dinner at 8 pm |
| Está a cuatro dólares la bolsa | It’s at four dollars per bag |
| A los 13 años es menor de edad | At the age of 13 you’re under age |
| Te voy a buscar a la iglesia | I’ll meet you at the church |
| A los 15 viajó a Disney | At the age of 1 she travelled to Disney |
De can be translated as of, from, about. When it’s followed by the singular masculine article el or the, they’re combined to form del. It can also be combined with the preposition A and can be translated as from. De can be used before a noun to mean of.
| Trabajo de lunes a viernes | I work from monday to friday |
| El sombrero del presidente | The president’s hat |
| La oficina de mi jefe es muy grande | My boss’ office is very big |
| Soy de Argentina | I’m from Argentina |
| Está abierto de 8 am a 5 pm | It’s open from 8 am to pm |
En is used to talk about location since it’s a preposition of place. In English it means in, at, by, on. It can also be used to talk about time and duration.
| El accidente fue en marzo | The accident happened in March |
| Está en la playa | she’s on the beach |
| Se casa en un mes | He’s getting married in a month time |
| Fue a trabajar en coche | He went to work by car |
Para is a preposition of purpose. It can be used to talk about destination or when talking about the recipient of something. In these cases it means for. Para or for is also used to talk about time. Para mi is an expression of opinion which is widely used to mean In my opinion.
| Nos vamos para Colombia | We’re leaving for Colombia |
| Necesito el artículo para el martes | I need the article for Tuesday |
| Quiero dinero para comprarme zapatillas | I want some money to buy a pair of trainers |
| Para mi, ella es abogada | In mi opinion, she’s a lawyer |
| El regalo es para mi padre | The present is for my father |
Por can be commonly translated as for when talking about purpose. It also is used to talk about means of transport and means by in passive voice.
| Lo hice por los niños | I did it for the children |
| Viaje por tren | I traveled by train |
| Te cambio este libro por unas revistas | I’ll swap this book for a couple of magazines |
| El cadáver fue descubierto por unos vecinos | The corpse was found by the neighbors |
| El barco llega por la mañana | The ship arrives in the morning |
