Using prepositions mostly depends on idiomatic expressions. Therefore, there is no direct equivalence between Spanish and English and the correct usage of prepositions is learned mainly from experience.
Use of Prepositions
Prepositions as Links in a Sentence
The most common application of prepositions is their function of linking words in a sentence.
Joining Prepositions
Two prepositions may be combined to form another preposition, i.e. adjoining bajo (under) with de (from) forms debajo (underneath).
Adjoining Prepositions to Subject Pronouns
Prepositions can be attached to subject pronouns in the following cases:
a. All pronouns except first and second-person-singular (yo, tú): The preposition will precede the subject pronoun, e.g. preposition + subject pronoun
1. For us Para nosotros 2. Against him Contra él 3. With them Con ellos 4. Without you-all Sin ustedes
b. First-person-singular and second-person-singular (yo, tú): For first-person-singular, we shall use: preposition + mí (instead of preposition + yo) For second-person-singular, we shall use: preposition + ti (instead of preposition + tú)
1. For me Para mí (Para yo) 2. Against you Contra ti (Contra tú)
The Pronoun Substitute Sí
The pronoun substitute Sí is translated to ‘himself/herself’ in English.
1. For himself Para sí (mismo) 2. For him Para él
The Preposition Con (with) is Irregular
The preposition con (with) is irregular when adjoined to the following pronouns: first-person-singular (yo), second-person-singular (tú), and with the pronoun substitute sí. For the irregular cases we add the -go suffix (see table below). The preposition con (with) is regularly used when added to all other pronouns.
1. With you-all Con ustedes 2. With me Conmigo 3. With you Contigo 4. With himself/herself Consigo (mismo/a)
General Examples
1. He is going (he goes) with me Él va conmigo 2. The meal is for me La comida es para mí 3. Whose (Spanish: of whom) is that? ¿De quién es esto? 4. It’s for you-all Es para ustedes 5. Because of you I’m hungry Por ti tengo hambre 6. From Buenos-Aires to New-York Desde Buenos-Aires hasta Nueva-York 7. It’s open here from 8 to 12 Está abierto aquí desde las ocho hasta las doce
The preposition: A
Usage
Examples
To indicate direction
Vamos a la playa
Let’s go to the beach
To indicate destination
Llego a Francia
I arrive to France
To indicate location
Estoy a la derecha
I am to the right
To indicate relative location to another object
El camión está a la izquierda del bus
The truck is at the left of the bus
To indicate a means
Vamos a pie
We go by foot (walk)
To indicate an action
La mesa está hecha a mano
The table is hand-made
To indicate time and age
A las dos de la tarde
At 2 o’clock PM
Se murió a los 40 años
He died at age 40
To link the indirect object to the verb
Digo a mi hermana...
I tell my sister…
Ama a su perro
He loves his dog
Ud. escribe una carta a sus padres
You-formal write your parents a letter
Verbs that make use of ‘a’
Ir a...
To go to…
Decidirse a...
To decide to…
Acostumbrarse a...
To get accustomed to…
Aprender a...
To learn to…
Comenzar a...
To commence…
Empezar a...
To begin…
Ayudar a...
To help…
Negarse a...
To reject…
Recibir a...
To recieve (someone)...
Idiomatic expressions with ‘a’
A la fuerza
By force
A gritos
Screaming
A propósito
By the way
A la carta
From the menu
A mano
By hand
Ir a pie
Go by foot
Montar a caballo
Ride a horse
Uno a uno
One by one
Uno a otro
One another
Al fin
At the end
Al lado de…
On the side of
Al otro lado de....
On the other side of….
A la izquierda
On/to the left
A la derecha
On/to the right
The preposition: Ante
Usage
Examples
To indicate precedence in time and place
Estoy ante su casa
I am in front of his house
Ante todo, dime la verdad
Before everything, tell me the truth
The preposition: Bajo
Usage
Examples
To indicate placement of
something under another thing
El tesoro está bajo la tierra
The treasure is underground
Vivimos bajo un buen régimen
We live under a good regime
The preposition: Con
Usage
Examples
With
Estoy con mi novia
I am with my girlfriend
Hazlo con cuidado
Do it carefully
Leo el libro con interés
I read the book with interest
The preposition: Contra
Usage
Examples
To indicate movement or direction
El asaltante me empujó contra la pared
The attacker pushed me against the wall
To indicate resistance
Estamos luchando contra el
gobierno
We are fighting against
the government
The preposition: De
Usage
Examples
To indicate possession
Es de mi amigo
It’s my friend’s
Los libros son de la señora
The books are the lady’s
To indicate material
La mesa es de madera
The table is made of wood
Un paquete de
tabaco
A pack of tobacco
To indicate a subject
Este libro es de aventuras
This book is an adventure book
To indicate part of the whole
¿Quieres un poco de vino?
Do you want some wine?
Cómprame un kilo de...
Buy me a kilo of…
To indicate origin, source
Soy de Japón
I am from Japan
To indicate time
Trabajo de día
I work during the day
Es peligroso salir de noche
It’s dangerous to go out at night
To describe states
Estar de pie
To stand
Caer de cabeza
To fall on the head
Usage
Examples
Verbs that make use of ‘de’
Tratar de
To try to…
Quejarse de
To complain about…
Acordarse de
To remember…
Alegrarse de
To be happy about...
Cansarse de
To be worn out
Dudar de
To doubt…
Despedirse de
To say goodbye to…
The preposition: Desde
Usage
Examples
To indicate source, origin
El bus sale desde Lima a las cinco de la mañana
The bus leaves Lima at 5 AM
Viajé desde el ’92 hasta el ‘94
I traveled from ‘92 to ‘94
The preposition: En
Usage
Examples
To indicate time or place
Estamos en Perú
We are in Peru
Estamos en (el) invierno
We are in winter
El banco está enfrente del hotel
The bank is in front of the hotel
To indicate an inner position
El bus está en el túnel
The bus is in the tunnel
To describe means of transportation
En avión
By plane
En coche
By car
En bicicleta
By bicycle
En moto
By motorcycle
En barco
By boat
Usage
Examples
To indicate form of expression
Habla en serio/en broma
He is talking seriously/jokingly
Verbs that make use of ‘en’
Quedarse en
To stay in/at…
Tardar en
To be late…
Confiar en
To trust…
Insistir en
To insist on…
Esforzarse en
To make an effort…
The preposition: Entre
Usage
Examples
To indicate a relative location
Estoy entre el río y nuestro campamento
I am between the river and our camp
Ella se sienta entre nosotros
She is sitting (she sits) between us
To indicate cooperation
Entre mi hermano y mi papá han limpiado el balcón
My brother and father cleaned the porch (together)
The preposition: Hacia
Usage
Examples
To indicate direction or estimated time
Cenamos hacia las ocho
We will eat supper around 8 PM
El restaurante está hacia allá
The restaurant is over there
The preposition: Hasta
Usage
Examples
To indicate a future occurrence or destination
¿Hasta cuándo voy a sufrir?
Until when will I suffer?
The preposition: Para
Usage
Examples
To indicate an objective
Las flores son para ti, mi
amor
The flowers are for you, my love
Estudiamos para ser abogados
We are studying to be lawyers
To indicate direction or end
of motion
Viajamos para Ciudad Perdida
We are traveling to the Lost City
El vuelo para Santa-Fe ya ha salido
The flight to Santa-Fe has already left
To indicate a stand or comparison
Para esta época hace mucho
frío
It’s very cold for this (current) season
To indicate amounts or quantities
Danos una habitación para tres
personas
Give us a room for three (people)
¡Mozo! Una mesa para cuatro, por favor
Waiter! A table for four (people), please
The preposition: Por
Usage
Examples
To indicate a reason or motive
Estamos preocupados por ti
We are worried about you (because of you)
El hotel está cerrado por la situación económica
The hotel is closed due to the economic situation
To indicate positioning (here meaning ‘along’)
Ud. corre por el parque
You-formal are running along the park
Fui por la playa
I went along the beach
To indicate means (transportation, communication, etc.)
(Uds.) escuchan las noticias por la radio
You-all hear the news on the radio
Hablé con él por teléfono
I spoke to him over the phone
Usage
Examples
To indicate substitution
(Yo) pago la cuenta por tí
I pay the bill for you
Ella cocina por tu mamá
She cooks instead of your mother
To indicate a price
Mi hermana compró la silla por cien pesos, porque la vendedora no quiso venderla por ochenta
My sister bought the chair for a hundred pesos, since the vendor didn’t want to sell it for eighty
To state ‘for whom’ or ‘on whose side’
Votamos por él
We vote for him
The preposition: Según
Usage
Examples
According to
Según el presidente todo estará bien
According to the president everything will be alright
The preposition: Sin
Usage
Examples
Without
La vida está vacía sin tí
Life is empty without you
Sin duda, aquí es lo mejor
Without a doubt, here it’s the best
The preposition: Sobre
Usage
Examples
To describe positioning of something above another
debajo (underneath).
