Prepositions
In grammar, a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and other words in a sentence. Prepositions are words like in and out, above and below, and to and from and they're words we use all the time.
Prepositions often refer to location ("under the table"), direction ("to the south"), or time ("past midnight"). They can also be used to show comparison (like, as . . . as); possession (of); purpose (for); source (from, out of)
The 20 Most Important Spanish Prepositions You Should Definitely Know!
Here's a list of prepositions that I shall cover. I shall note them down first and then give examples of each for the same.
1. a - to
2. Ante - before
3. Aldredor de - Nearby
4. Bajo - below, decrease,
5. cCn - with
6. De - of
7. Desde - from/of
8. Debajo - below
9. En - in
10. Entre - between
11. Encima de - above
12. Delante de - ahead of
13. Fuera - out of
14. Hacia - towards
15. hasta - until, upto,
16. Por - by/for
17. Detras - For, by, because of, through, per
18. Sin - without
19. Sobre - on, about
20. Para - For, to, in order to
1. a
Meaning: ToMost commonly, the Spanish preposition a translates to “to” in English.
For example: Voy a la casa de mis padres. (I am going to my fathers house.)
It can also connect a conjugated ir to an infinitive
For example: Ellos van a correr (They are going to run.)
2. ante
Meaning: In front of, beforeAn easy way to remember the meaning of this word is to think of the English prefix “ante-” (as in the word “antecedent”) which means the same thing it does in Spanish.
For example:Ella vuelve en su casa antes de las ocho en la tarde. (She returns home before 8 pm.)
3. alrededor de
Meaning: AroundThis simply means “around.”
For example: Hay flores alrededor de la iglesia. (There are flowers around the church.)
It can also be used to mean “around” in the context of giving an approximation.
For example: En la escuela, hay alrededor de 1500 estudiantes. (In the school, there are around 1500 students.)
4. bajo
Meaning: Under, underneathEl perro está bajo la mesa. (The dog is under/underneath the table.)
It can also be used in a sense of rule under a political figure.
Bajo Kim Jong-un, Corea del Norte ha tenido muchos problemas. (Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has had many problems.)
5. con
Meaning: With.For an example of con meaning “with,” check out the following line:
Voy a la fiesta con mis amigos. (I am going to the party with my friends.)
6. de
Meaning: From, of, withAn example of “from” is when de is used to indicate origin.
Mi abuela es de India. (My grandmother is from India.)
This does not only apply to the origin of people but also things.
Mi camisa es de los Estados Unidos. (My shirt is from the United States.)
De can mean “of.”
For example: La casa está hecho de madera. (The house is made from wood.)
And de can mean “from.”
Ella estaba volviendo de India. (She was returning from India.)
There are also ways in which de is used that cannot be directly translated to English. Like in Spanish Ir de compras means - to go for shopping.
7. desde
Meaning: From, since.In the case of “from,” desde could be used as follows:
Llamaré a mi madre desde tu casa. (I will call my mother from your house.)
In the case of “since,” which is the most common use for desde in Spanish, the following sentence is an example: No le he visto desde ayer. (I haven’t seen her since yesterday.)
8. debajo de
Meaning: Under, underneath.El gato estaba sentando debajo de la silla. (The cat was sitting under the chair.)
9. en
Meaning: In, into.An example of en meaning “in” is as follows:
Las manzanas están en la nevera. (The apples are in the fridge.)
Another example of en as “in” refers to the manner in which people do things.
10. entre
Meaning: Between, among.La puerta está entre las ventanas. (The door is between the windows.)
Yo encontré a mi hermana entre la multitud. (I found my sister among the crowd.)
11. encima de
Meaning: On top ofTu sombrero está encima de la cama. (Your hat is on top of the bed.)
12. delante de
Meaning: Before, in front ofHay un McDonald’s delante de mi escuela. (There is a McDonald’s in front of my school.)
13. fuera de
Meaning: Outside ofEl perro esperó fuera de la casa (The dog waited outside the house.)
14. hacia
Meaning: Towards, about (in regards to time)
Ellos corrieron hacia el termino. (They ran towards the end.)
Voy a llegar hacia las dos de la tarde. (I am going to arrive around two in the afternoon.)
15. hasta
Meaning: Until, up to, down toHere, hasta means “until”:
Ellos se van a quedar con nosotros hasta mañana. (They are going to stay with us until tomorrow.)
Here, hasta means “up to”: Este ascensor tiene capacidad para hasta 10 personas. (This elevator has capacity for up to 10 people.)
Here, hasta means “down to”: La temperatura bajo hasta los 10 grados. (The temperature went down to 10 degrees.)
16. por
Meaning: For, by, because of, through, perPor is used to mean many different things! Below are some examples of the most common uses of por.
For - Estaré en la casa de mis abuelos por el día de Acción de Gracias. (I will be in my grandparents’ house for Thanksgiving Day.)
By - Para ir al gimnasio, tienes que pasar por la farmacia. (To go to the gym, you have to pass by the pharmacy.)
Because of - No fui a trabajar por la gripe. (I didn’t go to work because of the flu.)
Through - Ellos pasaron por el pasillo. (They passed through the hallway.)
Per - Son quince dólares por libra. (They’re 15 dollars per pound.)
17. detrás de
Meaning: BehindElla caminó detrás de su tía. (She walked behind her aunt.)
18. sin
Meaning: WithoutAhora, Elena puede hacer su tarea sin la ayuda de sus padres. (Now, Elena can do her homework without her parents’ help.)
19. sobre
Meaning: On, about, overOn - Por favor, no pongas tu ropa sucia sobre la mesa. (Please don’t put your dirty clothes on the table.)
About - Busco un libro sobre animales salvajes. (I’m looking for a book about wild animals.)
Over - El avión voló sobre el océano. (The plane flew over the ocean.)
20. para
Meaning: For, to, in order to.Para ir a mi casa, tienes que conducir un coche. (In order to go to my house, you have to drive a car.)
This list is only the beginning.
Bro tip: Only use google translate as your quick vocab reference. Keep reading. As you come across new words. Look for their meaning on google translate!
Hasta la vista!
Sources: fluentu.com, thoughco.com
Note: You can refer to these sources above for an in-depth study of the topic. It involves further detailing and more content on prepositions
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