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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n1. A<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe preposition a<\/strong><\/em> is one of the most versatile and frequent in all of Spanish. It’s used to express:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- destination or direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a <\/strong>Murcia en Semana Santa.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- distance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Mi casa est\u00e1 a<\/strong> 20 kil\u00f3metros del centro.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– A <\/strong>las 9 y media hemos quedado delante del cine.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- price, when it’s variable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Las patatas est\u00e1n a<\/strong> 2 euros el kilo.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- the person receiving the action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Le han dicho a <\/strong>Juan que lo van a despedir.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- the way something is done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ahora muchas reuniones de trabajo se hacen a<\/strong> distancia.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- the purpose or goal of an action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a<\/strong> comprar el pan.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nA very common mistake among English speakers is forgetting what’s called the “a personal<\/em><\/strong>“: in Spanish, you always place a<\/em> before a direct object when that object is a person \u2014 something English has no real equivalent for. So you say Veo a mi hermana<\/em>, never Veo mi hermana<\/em>. It feels redundant to an English speaker, since we’d never insert an extra word before “my sister” in “I see my sister,” but skipping it is one of the fastest ways to sound non-native in Spanish. It’s worth drilling until it becomes automatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. De<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf a<\/em> is versatile, de<\/em> <\/strong>is even more so: it’s probably the Spanish preposition with the widest range of uses. Here are the main ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- origin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Esa chica rubia es de <\/strong>Valencia, su novio tambi\u00e9n es valenciano.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- possession<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Esta casa es de <\/strong>mis padres y aqu\u00e9lla es de <\/strong>mis abuelos.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- the time of day something happens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– El sol sale de <\/strong>d\u00eda y se esconde de <\/strong>noche.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- material<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– El jersey no es de <\/strong>lana, es de <\/strong>algod\u00f3n.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- a person’s quality or condition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Es una persona de <\/strong>mucho car\u00e1cter que proviene de buena familia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Durante la boda estuvimos de <\/strong>pie porque fue mucha gente a la iglesia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nHeads up<\/strong>: English often skips the preposition entirely for material and turns it into a compound noun instead \u2014 we say “a wool jumper,” not “a jumper of wool.” Spanish, by contrast, always keeps de<\/em>: jersey de lana<\/em>. Don’t be tempted to drop it just because English would.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDe<\/em> also shows up in a number of set phrases that are extremely common in everyday speech, like \u00bfDe verdad?<\/em> or De haberlo sabido…<\/em>. These are best learned as fixed chunks rather than pieced together word by word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. En<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEn<\/em> <\/strong>is one of the most frequently used prepositions in Spanish. It expresses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- place or position<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ahora mi madre no est\u00e1 en <\/strong>casa. \u00bfPuede llamarla m\u00e1s tarde?<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- area of knowledge or specialisation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Soy licenciado en <\/strong>Matem\u00e1ticas.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Si se hace este trabajo se hace en <\/strong>serio.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- means of transport (en coche \/ avi\u00f3n \/ tren \/ bicicleta \/ metro) <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– He venido en <\/strong>moto porque hay huelga de transportes.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nException<\/strong>: when the “means of transport” is your own two feet or a horse, Spanish switches to a<\/em> instead of en<\/em>: a pie, a caballo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- a point in time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– La primera edici\u00f3n del libro fue en <\/strong>1987.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nHeads up<\/strong>: when it comes to transport, English says “by bus,” “by car,” “by plane,” using by<\/em>, while Spanish always uses en<\/em>: en autob\u00fas, en coche, en avi\u00f3n<\/em>. If you catch yourself reaching for por<\/em> here out of habit, that’s the moment to stop and correct it. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe expressions en general<\/em>, en absoluto<\/em> and en serio<\/em> are also worth memorising as fixed blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Con<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCon<\/em> <\/strong>is, among the prepositions in this first part, the most intuitive for an English speaker, since its use closely mirrors “with.” It’s used to express:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- company<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a cenar con <\/strong>tu hermana.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- relationship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Si hablo con <\/strong>mi jefe te lo digo.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- the means by which an action is carried out<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ir\u00e9 a tu casa con <\/strong>el coche de Luisa, el m\u00edo est\u00e1 roto.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nA less obvious but rather elegant use is before an infinitive, where con<\/em> takes on a value close to our “-ing” form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n– No hace falta que escribas mucho, con <\/strong>escribir unas letras es suficiente<\/em><\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Ante<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAnte<\/em> <\/strong>corresponds to “before” or “in the presence of,” and is used mostly in formal or solemn contexts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- a synonym of “delante de,” “en presencia de,” “frente a”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Se presentaron ante <\/strong>la justicia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- a sense of priority, meaning “above all”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ante <\/strong>todo hay que pensar en las mejores soluciones para no despedir a los empleados.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIt’s not a preposition you’ll hear constantly in casual conversation, but you’ll come across it often in news articles, formal speeches and professional contexts \u2014 think of it as sitting somewhere between “before” and “in the face of” in tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.
- \n
- destination or direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a <\/strong>Murcia en Semana Santa.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- distance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Mi casa est\u00e1 a<\/strong> 20 kil\u00f3metros del centro.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– A <\/strong>las 9 y media hemos quedado delante del cine.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- price, when it’s variable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Las patatas est\u00e1n a<\/strong> 2 euros el kilo.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the person receiving the action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Le han dicho a <\/strong>Juan que lo van a despedir.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the way something is done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ahora muchas reuniones de trabajo se hacen a<\/strong> distancia.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the purpose or goal of an action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a<\/strong> comprar el pan.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A very common mistake among English speakers is forgetting what’s called the “a personal<\/em><\/strong>“: in Spanish, you always place a<\/em> before a direct object when that object is a person \u2014 something English has no real equivalent for. So you say Veo a mi hermana<\/em>, never Veo mi hermana<\/em>. It feels redundant to an English speaker, since we’d never insert an extra word before “my sister” in “I see my sister,” but skipping it is one of the fastest ways to sound non-native in Spanish. It’s worth drilling until it becomes automatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. De<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If a<\/em> is versatile, de<\/em> <\/strong>is even more so: it’s probably the Spanish preposition with the widest range of uses. Here are the main ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- origin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Esa chica rubia es de <\/strong>Valencia, su novio tambi\u00e9n es valenciano.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- possession<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Esta casa es de <\/strong>mis padres y aqu\u00e9lla es de <\/strong>mis abuelos.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the time of day something happens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– El sol sale de <\/strong>d\u00eda y se esconde de <\/strong>noche.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- material<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– El jersey no es de <\/strong>lana, es de <\/strong>algod\u00f3n.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- a person’s quality or condition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Es una persona de <\/strong>mucho car\u00e1cter que proviene de buena familia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Durante la boda estuvimos de <\/strong>pie porque fue mucha gente a la iglesia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heads up<\/strong>: English often skips the preposition entirely for material and turns it into a compound noun instead \u2014 we say “a wool jumper,” not “a jumper of wool.” Spanish, by contrast, always keeps de<\/em>: jersey de lana<\/em>. Don’t be tempted to drop it just because English would.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
De<\/em> also shows up in a number of set phrases that are extremely common in everyday speech, like \u00bfDe verdad?<\/em> or De haberlo sabido…<\/em>. These are best learned as fixed chunks rather than pieced together word by word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. En<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
En<\/em> <\/strong>is one of the most frequently used prepositions in Spanish. It expresses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- place or position<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ahora mi madre no est\u00e1 en <\/strong>casa. \u00bfPuede llamarla m\u00e1s tarde?<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- area of knowledge or specialisation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Soy licenciado en <\/strong>Matem\u00e1ticas.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Si se hace este trabajo se hace en <\/strong>serio.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- means of transport (en coche \/ avi\u00f3n \/ tren \/ bicicleta \/ metro) <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– He venido en <\/strong>moto porque hay huelga de transportes.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exception<\/strong>: when the “means of transport” is your own two feet or a horse, Spanish switches to a<\/em> instead of en<\/em>: a pie, a caballo.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- a point in time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– La primera edici\u00f3n del libro fue en <\/strong>1987.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heads up<\/strong>: when it comes to transport, English says “by bus,” “by car,” “by plane,” using by<\/em>, while Spanish always uses en<\/em>: en autob\u00fas, en coche, en avi\u00f3n<\/em>. If you catch yourself reaching for por<\/em> here out of habit, that’s the moment to stop and correct it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The expressions en general<\/em>, en absoluto<\/em> and en serio<\/em> are also worth memorising as fixed blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Con<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Con<\/em> <\/strong>is, among the prepositions in this first part, the most intuitive for an English speaker, since its use closely mirrors “with.” It’s used to express:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- company<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Voy a cenar con <\/strong>tu hermana.<\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- relationship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Si hablo con <\/strong>mi jefe te lo digo.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the means by which an action is carried out<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ir\u00e9 a tu casa con <\/strong>el coche de Luisa, el m\u00edo est\u00e1 roto.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A less obvious but rather elegant use is before an infinitive, where con<\/em> takes on a value close to our “-ing” form:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
– No hace falta que escribas mucho, con <\/strong>escribir unas letras es suficiente<\/em><\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Ante<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ante<\/em> <\/strong>corresponds to “before” or “in the presence of,” and is used mostly in formal or solemn contexts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- a synonym of “delante de,” “en presencia de,” “frente a”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Se presentaron ante <\/strong>la justicia.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- a sense of priority, meaning “above all”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
– Ante <\/strong>todo hay que pensar en las mejores soluciones para no despedir a los empleados.<\/em><\/mark><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s not a preposition you’ll hear constantly in casual conversation, but you’ll come across it often in news articles, formal speeches and professional contexts \u2014 think of it as sitting somewhere between “before” and “in the face of” in tone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6.
- a sense of priority, meaning “above all”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- a synonym of “delante de,” “en presencia de,” “frente a”<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- the means by which an action is carried out<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- relationship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- company<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- a point in time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- means of transport (en coche \/ avi\u00f3n \/ tren \/ bicicleta \/ metro) <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- area of knowledge or specialisation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- place or position<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- manner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- a person’s quality or condition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- material<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- the time of day something happens<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- possession<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- origin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- the purpose or goal of an action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- the way something is done<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- the person receiving the action<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- price, when it’s variable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- distance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n