Spanish Grammar Bank

SPANISH PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions in Spanish are invariable words, meaning that they do not change form irrespective of their gender or number.

They establish the relationship between two elements in a given phrase, helping clarify how things or ideas are connected.

THE BASICS

Prepositions are words that introduce a complement known as término (or the object of the preposition). Together they form what is called a grupo preposicional (or a prepositional phrase). 

con una pequeña ayuda

With a little help

In the above example, con (with) is the preposition and una pequeña ayuda (with a little help) is the object of the preposition. Together, they form a prepositional phrase.

Prepositions are a closed grammatical category, meaning, they consist of a fixed number of elements. Below is the list of the generally accepted prepositions in Spanish:

spanishenglish
ato
antebefore
bajounder
cabefitting/apt
conwith
contraagainst
deof/from
desdefrom
duranteduring
enin/on
entrebetween/among
haciatoward/to
hastauntil/up to
⁠medianteby means of
parafor/to
⁠porby/for
segúnaccording to
sinwithout
sobreon/about
trasafter
versusversus
víavia

In Spanish, prepositional phrases follow this structure:

PATTERN

Preposition + Object

NOTE || That the two elements of the structure above cannot be separated, unlike in English where at times the two can be separated.

For instance, in the English phrase ‘What are you talking about’, the pronoun ‘what’ is the object of the preposition ‘about’. 

Notice how, in Spanish, the same phrase ¿De qué estás hablando? maintains the required structure:
preposition ‘de’ (what) + object ‘qué’ (about).

If we were to follow the same structure as in English, we would come up with a grammatically incorrect phrase in Spanish: ¿Qué estás hablando de?

Correct: ¿De qué estás hablando?
Incorrect: ¿Qué estás hablando de?

El coche de LucíaLucía’s car
Voy hacia el restaurante.I am going towards the restaurant.
Juan está en la consulta del medico.Juan is in the doctor’s office.
Ella vive con su amiga.She lives with her friend.
La moto está entre dos coches.The motorcycle is in between two cars.
Prefiero conducir sin música.I prefer to drive without music.

In the examples above, prepositions like de (of/from) and con (with) describe basic relationships (such as possession or company), while others such as hacia (towards/to) and entre (between/among) indicate direction or position.

FUNCTION & USE

Relational function

Although prepositions can have various functions, in Spanish, the common denominator between all prepositions is that they describe a relationship between two elements in a given phrase. For example:

El abrigo de Pablo

Pablo’s coat

In the example above, the preposition ‘de expresses a possessive relationship between the noun ‘abrigo’ (coat) and the object ‘Pablo’.

Lexical meaning

Some prepositions have lexical meanings as well, usually of location and time, like for example desde (from), bajo (under), and sobre (on, about). 

For the sake of clarity, lexical meaning refers to the inherent sense of a word as defined in a dictionary, irrespective of its use in a sentence or its grammatical purpose.

Contrasting meaning

Prepositions can also express contrasting meanings, like for instance con/sin (with/without), desde/hasta (from/until, to), and bajo/sobre (under/on, above).


In a prepositional phrase (preposition + object) in Spanish, the object of a preposition (known as término) can belong to various grammatical categories, as indicated below.

And always remember that the object of the preposition comes after the preposition and not before it.

• a noun or pronoun phrase, which often indicates possession, location, or association

MUST KNOW || With very few exceptions, personal pronouns that follow a preposition do not take the subject forms yo (I) and (you, informal) and instead take on the following structure:

para mí (for me) and not para yo 
sin ti (without you) and not sin tú

Examples for objects of prepositions (términos) categorized as a noun or pronoun phrase:

desde la casafrom the house
hacia la escuelatowards the school
sobre la mesaon the table
con ellawith her
sin vosotroswithout you all
según Ustedaccording to you (formal)

• an adjective phrase, which usually modifies or qualifies the noun they refer to, providing additional information (such as an opinion, a degree, or a characteristic)

Examples for objects of prepositions categorized as an adjective phrase:

pasar por tontoto pass for a fool
desde muy pequeñosince very young
vivir en el caosto live in chaos
para lo bueno y lo malofor the good and the bad
con calmawith calm
bajo la oscuridadunderneath the darkness

• an adverbial phrase, which commonly expresses spatial relationships between objects

Examples for objects of prepositions categorized as an adverbial phrase:

hasta aquí mismoright up to here
desde detrás de la puertafrom behind the door
por debajo del puenteunder the bridge
ir hacia delanteto move forward
hacia arribaupwards
desde allífrom there

• a prepositional phrase, that generally describes spatial and directional relations. In some cases, Spanish allows the sequence of up to two prepositions together

Examples for objects of prepositions categorized as prepositional phrases:

de entre los arbustosfrom among the bushes
por entre las mesasthrough between the tables
por debajo de la camaunder the bed
desde detrás de la puertafrom behind the door
hacia dentro de la casatowards the inside of the house
de sobre la encimerafrom on top of the counter

• a subordinate noun clause which generally expresses abstract concepts (ideas, fears, suspicions, hopes, promises, etc.) 

la noticia de que habían llegadoThe news that they had arrived
la posibilidad de que haga solThe possibility that it will be sunny
la promesa de tiempos mejoresThe promise of better times
la duda de si él dice la verdadThe doubt on whether he is telling the truth
la idea de que tengamos una casa propiaThe idea that we would have our own house
la sospecha de que no sea verdadThe suspicion that it is not true

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FAQs

What are Spanish prepositions used for?

Prepositions in Spanish are used to show relationships between words in a sentence, such as location, direction, time, or cause.

What are some common Spanish prepositions?

Some of the most common prepositions include a (to), de (of, from), en (in, on), con (with), por (by, through), and para (for).

When to use por or para?

Por is used to indicate reasons, causes, or movement through a place, while para is used to indicate purpose, destination, or deadlines.

Learn more about the use of por and para in this lesson.

Do prepositions affect verbs in Spanish?

Yes, after a preposition, verbs are used in the infinitive form. For example, voy a comer (“I am going to eat”).

Can Spanish prepositions change meaning according to context?

Yes, many prepositions can have different meanings based on the context. For example, en can mean “in,” “on,” or “at” depending on the sentence.

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