Spanish prepositions
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Sign up for freePrepositions (preposiciones) are used to indicate a relationship between words or phrases.
They are often used to indicate relationships of location, direction, or time.
Examples:
- Voy a la biblioteca. (I am going to the library.)
- Ayer fui al cine con Inés. (Yesterday I went to the cinema with Inés.)
Lesson outline
HideSpanish preposition list
| Preposition | English translation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | to, at | Solemos cenar a las nueve. (We usually have dinner at nine.) |
| ante | before, in the presence of | Siempre he soñado con cantar ante a un gran público.(I have always dreamed of singing in front of a big audience.) |
| bajo | under | El gato se escondió bajo la mesa. (The cat hid under the table.) |
| con | with | Anoche fui a cenar con mi novio. (Yesterday night I went to have dinner with my boyfriend.) |
| contra | against | Los antibióticos actúan contra las bacterias. (Antibiotics act against bacteria.) |
| de | of, from | Mis primos son de Madrid. (My cousins are from Madrid.) |
| desde | from, since | No he comido nada desde esta mañana. (I have not eaten anything since this morning.) |
| durante | during, for | Está prohibido hablar durante el examen. (Talking is forbidden during the exam.) |
| en | in, on, at | Giulia vive en Madrid. (Giulia lives in Madrid.) |
| entre | between, among | Su hija se encuentra entre las victimas del accidente. (His daughter is among the accident victims.) |
| hacía | until, toward | Él miró hacía la ventana. (He looked towards the window.) |
| hasta | until, toward | Me quedé allí hasta las ocho. (I stayed there until eight.) |
| mediante | by, with | El pago se realiza mediante transferencia bancaria. (Payment is made by bank transfer.) |
| para | for, in order to | Me fui al centro para ver a Mateo. (I went to the center in order to meet with Mateo.) |
| por | for, by | Nos hablamos por teléfono. (We talked by phone.) |
| según | according to | Según yo, él se ha ido a Italia por ella. (According to me, he has gone to Italy for her.) |
| sin | without | No te vayas sin mí. (Don't go away without me.) |
| sobre | about, on, upon, above, over, around | Procuraré llegar sobre las seis. (I will try to arrive about six.) |
| trás | after, behind | Trás la cena, nos fuimos al cine. (After the dinner, we went to the cinema.) |
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Lidia N. 
Maria Juliana R. 
Alexandra A. 
Daniele M. 
Ainhoa R. 
José-Apeles S.
Diletta Maria R.
Patricia B.
CARMEN M.
Belén A. 
Invariable forms
Prepositions are invariable when they only have one form.
Examples:
- Bailé hasta el amanecer. (I danced till dawn.)
- Iré a Madrid en tren. (I will go to Madrid by train.)
When preceding the article "el", the prepositions "de" and "a" turned into "del" and "al".
Examples:
- A+EL: Voy a el cinema = Voy al cinema. (I go to the cinema.)
- DE+EL: El monte Everest es la montaña más alta de el mundo = El monte Everest es la montaña más alta del mundo. (The Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.)