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Prepositions in Spanish (pt. 1) – Lesson 62
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(Lesson summary)
Learn 10 common prepositions in Spanish: en, con, sin, por, para, de, hacia, desde, sobre and contra.
- What prepositions are
- En, con, sin
- Por vs para (a first look)
- De, hacia, desde, sobre, contra
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(The full lesson)
What are prepositions?
Prepositions are small words that show the relationship between things in a sentence. They often tell you where something is or when something happens. In English, for example:
- I work until five o’clock. (when)
- During the weekend. (when)
- The cat is under the table. (where)
Spanish has lots of prepositions too. This topic has 2 parts with about 20 common ones in total. Today: the first 10. You already know some of them!
En: in, at, on
Estoy en la oficina. I’m at the office.
One of the most common words in Spanish. En covers “in”, “at” and sometimes “on”: en casa (at home), en la mesa (on the table), en España (in Spain).
Con and sin: with, without
Salgo con mis amigos. I go out with my friends.
No puedo vivir sin ti. I can’t live without you.
Salgo means “I go out” (from salir: another “yo-go” verb!). And after sin, “you” becomes ti: sin ti. (But “with you” is the special word contigo, from lesson 61.)
Por and para: two words for “for”
Gracias por tu ayuda. Thanks for your help.
Lo hago por ti. I do it for you (for your sake).
Esto es para ti. This is for you.
We saw these already in lesson 32. A quick rule of thumb:
- Por: a reason or cause. Lo hago por ti = I do it because of you, for your sake.
- Para: a goal, destination or receiver. Esto es para ti = you’re the one receiving it.
There’s a full lesson about por vs para later, so don’t worry about it too much for now.
De: from, of
Soy de Holanda. I’m from the Netherlands.
el zumo de naranja orange juice (juice of orange)
De is everywhere: “from” (soy de…) and “of” (zumo de naranja, carne de cerdo). And remember: de + el = del.
Hacia: towards
Caminamos hacia el parque. We walk towards the park.
Llego hacia las cinco. I’ll arrive around five.
Hacia shows a direction: towards. With times, it means “around”: hacia las cinco = around five o’clock.
Desde: since, from
Vivo aquí desde 2022. I’ve lived here since 2022.
From lesson 61. And again: Spanish uses the present tense (vivo) where English says “I’ve lived”.
Sobre: about, on
Hablamos sobre el tiempo. We talk about the weather.
Sobre means “about” (a topic) and also “on”: el libro está sobre la mesa. And el tiempo means both “the weather” and “time”!
Contra: against
El equipo juega contra sus rivales. The team plays against their rivals.
(Wes’s tip)
Many of these you’ll mostly hear as part of a phrase. Learn them that way: en casa, con amigos, sin azúcar, gracias por…, es para ti, soy de…
Recap: prepositions (part 1)
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| en | in / at / on |
| con | with |
| sin | without |
| por | for (reason) |
| para | for (goal / receiver) |
+ 5 more words & phrases
Get all 10 words & phrases on one printable page, with examples and my tips. Free, straight to your inbox.
Get the free PDF ↓Practice: which preposition?
Fill in the preposition. Say it out loud, then click to check.
1. Estoy ___ casa. (I’m at home.)
Estoy en casa.
2. Un café ___ leche. (with milk)
Un café con leche.
3. Un café ___ azúcar. (without sugar)
Un café sin azúcar.
4. Este regalo es ___ ti. (This gift is for you.)
Este regalo es para ti.
5. Gracias ___ todo. (Thanks for everything.)
Gracias por todo.
6. Soy ___ Inglaterra. (I’m from England.)
Soy de Inglaterra.
7. Juegan ___ el Madrid. (They play against Madrid.)
Juegan contra el Madrid.
Quiz: prepositions (part 1)
8 questions. ¡Vamos!
Before you go to the next lesson
Prepositions are best learned in short phrases rather than one by one. Grab the free reference sheet below, and see you in part 2 in a few lessons. ¡Hasta la próxima!
(Free reference sheet)
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