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What are the prepositions in Spanish?

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Language learning

Do you know how to use prepositions in Spanish? These words will help you improve your Spanish and sound more natural in this language.

Today we are going to tell you what Spanish prepositions are and how they are used. These words will help you improve your mastery of Spanish, and to sound more natural in this language, you have to learn how to use them.

What are prepositions?

Prepositions are those small words that slip into sentences and help establish relationships between things, places, times, and people. They are like the invisible glue that holds everything together in a sentence.

Ultimately, they are invariable words used to link different elements in a phrase. In Spanish, there are simple prepositions and compound prepositions, which we will differentiate below.

List of simple prepositions in Spanish

Simple prepositions are individual words, such as a, en, de, con, por, para, sin, sobre, among others.

  • A
  • Ante
  • Bajo
  • Con
  • Contra
  • De
  • Desde
  • Durante
  • En
  • Entre
  • Hacia
  • Hasta
  • Mediante
  • Para
  • Por
  • Según
  • Sin
  • Sobre
  • Tras
  • Vía
  • Versus
  • To/At
  • Before/In the presence of
  • Under/Below
  • With
  • Against
  • Of/From
  • From/Since
  • During
  • In/On/Into/Upon/At/To
  • Among/Between
  • Towards
  • As far as/Until/Up to
  • Through/By means of
  • For/In order to
  • For/Through/By
  • According to
  • Without
  • On/Upon/About
  • After
  • Via/By way of
  • Versus/Against

List of compound prepositions

Compound prepositions are combinations of simple prepositions, such as encima de, dentro de, al lado de, cerca de, and many more.

  • A causa de
  • A fin de
  • A pesar de
  • Al lado de
  • Acerca de
  • Además de
  • Alrededor de
  • Antes de
  • Cerca de
  • Conforme a
  • Contrario a
  • Debajo de
  • Delante de
  • Dentro de
  • Después de
  • Detrás de
  • Encima de
  • Enfrente de
  • En cuanto a
  • En lugar de/En vez de
  • Frente a
  • Fuera de
  • Junto a
  • Respecto a
  • On account of
  • In order to
  • In spite of
  • Next to/By the side of
  • About/Regarding
  • Besides
  • Around
  • Before (in time)
  • Near
  • According to
  • Contrary to
  • Under
  • Before/In front of (place)
  • Within/Inside of
  • After (in time)
  • After/Behind (place)
  • Over/On/Above
  • In front of
  • As to/With respect to
  • Instead of
  • Facing/Opposite to
  • Outside of
  • Close to
  • In regard to

Examples of using prepositions in Spanish

By understanding and correctly using prepositions, you will be able to communicate more easily in everyday situations. Furthermore, you will be able to accurately express your thoughts, ideas, or the relationships between objects and people.

It is important to remember that prepositions in Spanish can have several meanings and uses, so practicing their application in different contexts is fundamental for a complete mastery of them. Additionally, Spanish prepositions do not have gender or number, unlike colors in Spanish.

For example: El libro está debajo de la mesa (“The book is under the table”). The preposition is (“under”), which indicates the spatial relationship of the book to the table.

Another example would be: Ella lee una revista durante la clase (“She reads a magazine during class time”). Here, the preposition is (“during”), which indicates the temporal relationship between reading the magazine and the class hour.

Here are other examples of the use of prepositions in Spanish:

  • Voy a la tienda a comprar el pan ("I'm going to the shop to buy bread")
  • Estoy en casa con mi primo pequeño ("I'm at home with my little cousin")
  • El libro de Juan está sobre la mesa ("Juan's book is on the table")
  • Viajo de Madrid a Londres en avión ("I am traveling from Madrid to London by plane")
  • Compré esa camiseta para ti ("I bought that T-shirt for you")
  • La casa de mi abuela está entre dos árboles ("My grandmother's house is between two trees")
  • Lograron el resultado mediante negociaciones tensas ("They achieved the result through tense negotiations")
  • El lápiz está al lado del libro ("The pencil is next to the book")
  • Caminamos por la plaza hasta el restaurante ("We walked across the square to the restaurant")
  • Según el pronóstico, mañana va a llover ("According to the forecast, it is going to rain tomorrow")

In conclusion, Spanish prepositions are an essential part of grammar and play a crucial role in effective communication. If you want to improve your Spanish level, Enforex has intensive and immersive courses for all ages. Find yours and learn Spanish in Spain.