Spanish Prepositions

Granada

In this lesson you'll learn how to use prepositions in the Spanish language. A list of common prepositions is also included, along with examples of how to use them.

Online flashcards are included to help you learn the Spanish prepositions.

Grammar

Prepositions act as linking words that show the relationship between other words in the sentence. Prepositions often indicate the location, in either position or time, of a noun or pronoun. English examples include at and before. Prepositions can also be used to connect nouns to other words in a sentence, such as of and about.

In Spanish, prepositions come before the noun they are associated with, and never come at the end of a sentence.

Prepositions are very common words and are worth memorizing. The common Spanish prepositions are listed below, as well as some examples to show how they are used.

Spanish Vocabulary

Simple Prepositions

a to, at
bajo under, beneath
con with
contra against
de of, from, about
desde from, since
durante during
en in, at (a position)
entre between, among
hacia towards
hasta until, up to, as far as
mediante by means of
para for, in order to
por by, through, for
según according to
sin without
sobre on, over, about
tras behind, after

Compound Prepositions

a causa de because of
a la derecha de on the right of
a la izquierda de on the left of
al final de at the end of
al lado de beside, next to
al otro lado de on the other side of
en el medio de in the middle of
alrededor de around
antes de before
a razón de because of, owing to
cerca de near
debajo de under, beneath
debido a owing to
delante de in front of
dentro de inside, within
después de after
detrás de behind
encima de on top of, over
enfrente de opposite
en lugar de in place of
junto a next to
fuera de outside
lejos de far from
menos de less than

Advertisement

Spanish Phrases

Here are some examples showing how to use Spanish prepositions.


Está cerca de la biblioteca. It's near the library.
Está al lado del hotel. It's next to the hotel.
Está en la calle Alma. It's on Alma street.
Mi casa no queda muy lejos de aquí. My house isn't very far from here.
Compré un regalo para mi hermana. I bought a gift for my sister.
Gracias por el regalo. Thanks for the gift.
Compré el regalo por veinte euros. I bought the gift for ten dollars.
¿Hay algo para mí? Is there something for me?
Salieron para el lago. They left for the lake.
Esto es para la mesa. This is for the table.
Necesito los anteojos para leer. I need glasses for reading.
Lo necesito para el viernes. I need it for Friday.
Lo necesitan para mañana. They need it for tomorrow.
No te preocupes por mí. Don't worry about me.
Trabajo por la noche. I work at night.
No comí por dos días. I didn't eat for two days.
Voy dos veces por semana. I go twice a week.

Flashcards

Here are some flashcards to help you learn the prepositions introduced in this lesson.