Spanish prepositions are short words that connect ideas and show relationships such as location, direction, time, cause, and possession. This cheat sheet helps students choose the correct preposition in common phrases and sentence patterns. It is useful because many Spanish prepositions do not match English prepositions word for word.
Strong control of prepositions makes writing and speaking more accurate and natural.
The most important prepositions include a, de, en, con, por, and para. Students should know fixed expressions such as ir a, pensar en, and acabar de, because the preposition often belongs to the verb pattern. The contractions al and del are required when a or de comes before el.
Por and para are especially important because they express different ideas such as cause, purpose, destination, exchange, and deadline.
Key Facts
- Use a to mean to, toward, or at, as in Voy a la escuela and Llamo a mi madre.
- Use de to mean of, from, or about, as in el libro de Ana and Soy de México.
- Use en to mean in, on, or at for many locations and time expressions, as in Vivo en Madrid and Estamos en clase.
- Use con to mean with, as in Estudio con mis amigos.
- Use al instead of a el and del instead of de el, as in Voy al parque and Vengo del cine.
- Use para for destination, purpose, recipient, deadlines, and opinions, as in Salgo para Perú and Es para ti.
- Use por for cause, exchange, movement through, duration, and communication means, as in Gracias por ayudar and Caminamos por el parque.
- After most prepositions, use the infinitive form of a verb, as in antes de comer and para estudiar.
Vocabulary
- Preposición
- A preposition is a word that connects a noun, pronoun, or infinitive to another part of the sentence.
- Contracción
- A contraction combines two words into one, such as a plus el becoming al and de plus el becoming del.
- Infinitivo
- An infinitive is the basic verb form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir, such as hablar, comer, or vivir.
- Destino
- A destination is the place someone or something is going to, often introduced by a or para.
- Ubicación
- Location tells where something is, and Spanish often uses en for in, on, or at.
- Expresión fija
- A fixed expression is a phrase that uses a required preposition, such as pensar en or depender de.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using a el instead of al is wrong because Spanish requires the contraction al when a comes before the masculine singular article el.
- Using de el instead of del is wrong because Spanish requires the contraction del when de comes before the masculine singular article el.
- Translating English prepositions directly is often wrong because Spanish uses different patterns, such as en la televisión for on television.
- Using para for every use of for is wrong because por is needed for cause, exchange, duration, movement through a place, and communication.
- Conjugating a verb after a preposition is usually wrong because Spanish normally uses an infinitive after prepositions, as in después de estudiar.
Practice Questions
- 1 Choose the correct contraction: Voy a el mercado at 3:00. Rewrite the sentence correctly in Spanish.
- 2 Fill in the blank with por or para: Estudio español ___ viajar a Costa Rica.
- 3 Fill in the blank with a, de, en, or con: Mis amigos viven ___ una casa cerca del parque.
- 4 Explain why Gracias por tu ayuda uses por instead of para.