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Positional Words in Spanish (pt. 1) – Lesson 57
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(Lesson summary)
Learn 9 positional words to say where something is: encima de, debajo de, dentro de, detrás de, al lado de, left and right.
- On top of, above, under
- Inside, in front of, behind
- Next to, left, right
- de + el = del
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(The full lesson)
What are positional words?
Positional words tell you where something or someone is: the position, location or direction. In English: on top of the table, next to the table, behind the table.
This topic has 2 parts. Today we learn the first 9 positional words.
The little helper word: de
Before we start: notice that almost all of these end in de (of): encima de, debajo de, al lado de… It’s like saying “on top of“, “next to“. And remember: de + el = del. So it’s encima de la silla, but encima del sofá.
And because we’re talking about location, we use estar: está encima de…, está detrás de…
Encima de and arriba de: on top of, above
Está encima de la silla. It’s on top of the chair.
Está arriba de la silla. It’s above the chair.
Encima de = on top of: touching, lying on it. Arriba de = above: higher up, but not touching. (In Spain, people often say por encima de for “above”.)
Debajo de: under, below
Está debajo de la silla. It’s under the chair.
Dentro de: inside
Ella está dentro de la tienda. She’s inside the store.
Delante de and detrás de: in front of, behind
Ella está delante de la tienda. She’s in front of the store.
Él está detrás de la tienda. He’s behind the store.
Detrás has a tilde on the á: “de-TRAS”. In Latin America you’ll also hear enfrente de for “in front of”.
Al lado de: next to, beside
Él está al lado de la tienda. He’s next to the store.
Literally “at the side of”. Al is a + el, and el lado means “the side”.
A la izquierda de and a la derecha de: to the left of, to the right of
El baño está a la izquierda de la cocina. The bathroom is to the left of the kitchen.
El baño está a la derecha de la cocina. The bathroom is to the right of the kitchen.
La izquierda = the left, la derecha = the right. Super useful when someone gives you directions: a la izquierda (on the left), a la derecha (on the right).
(Wes’s tip)
Can’t remember which is which? Derecha sounds a bit like “direct”: the right (correct) way. And derecho also means “straight ahead”: todo derecho.
Recap: positional words (part 1)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| encima de | on top of |
| arriba de | above |
| debajo de | under / below |
| dentro de | inside |
| delante de | in front of |
+ 4 more words & phrases
Get all 9 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.
Get the free PDF ↓Practice: where is it?
Say it out loud first, then click to check.
1. The cat is on top of the table. (la mesa)
El gato está encima de la mesa.
2. The cat is under the table.
El gato está debajo de la mesa.
3. She’s inside the house. (la casa)
Ella está dentro de la casa.
4. He’s behind the car. (el coche)
Él está detrás del coche. (de + el = del)
5. The bathroom is next to the kitchen.
El baño está al lado de la cocina.
6. It’s to the right of the door. (la puerta)
Está a la derecha de la puerta.
Quiz: positional words (part 1)
9 questions. ¿Dónde está?
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between “encima de” and “sobre”?
Sobre (from lesson 52) also means “on”: el libro está sobre la mesa. In most cases sobre and encima de are interchangeable.
Before you go to the next lesson
Practice by describing where things are in your room: el móvil está encima de la mesa, la mochila está debajo de la silla… Grab the free reference sheet below, and see you in part 2!
(Free reference sheet)
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