Prepositions
A, de, en, para, sin, the personal a, antes de and después de with an infinitive, and conmigo and contigo.
Learn
Prepositions, explained point by point
Everything the GCSE specification expects you to be able to do, and how to actually do it - the same lesson a signed-in student studies from.
Use a, de and en for to, from and in
A means to or at: Voy a Madrid, a las tres. De means of or from: Soy de Leeds. En means in or on, and also by for transport: en el instituto, en tren. Remember that a el becomes al and de el becomes del.
Use de to show who owns something
Spanish has no 's. Say the thing, then de, then the owner: el perro de Hugo, Hugo's dog; la casa de mis abuelos, my grandparents' house. De also says what kind of thing it is: la clase de inglés, the English lesson.
Use the personal a before a person who is the object
When a verb acts directly on a particular person, put a in front of them: Veo a mi primo, I see my cousin; Visito a mis abuelos, I visit my grandparents. It has no English translation, and things don't take it: Veo la tele, I watch TV.
Use para for for and in order to, and know the main uses of por
Para means for, as in who something is for or what it is for: un regalo para mi madre. With an infinitive it means in order to: Estudio para aprobar, I study to pass. Por gives a reason or a route, and appears in set phrases: por la tarde, in the afternoon; por el parque, through the park; gracias por todo.
Use an infinitive after sin, antes de and después de
After a preposition, Spanish uses the infinitive where English uses -ing: sin hablar, without speaking; antes de salir, before going out; después de cenar, after having dinner. The -ando and -iendo forms never follow a preposition.
Learn the preposition that goes with a verb
Some verbs need a preposition before an infinitive or a noun: empezar a (start to), aprender a (learn to), dejar de (stop doing), pensar en (think about). The preposition can change the meaning: llegar is to arrive, but llegar a with an infinitive is to manage to. Learn each verb with its preposition.
Use place words with de: cerca de, lejos de, delante de, detrás de
Many words for where things are need de before a noun: cerca de la playa, near the beach; lejos del centro, far from the centre; delante del cine, in front of the cinema; al lado de mi casa, next to my house. Others stand alone: entre, sobre, en.
Use mí, ti, conmigo and contigo after a prepositionHigher only
After most prepositions, me is mí and you is ti: para mí, for me; sin ti, without you. Every other person uses the subject pronoun: con él, para ella, sin nosotros. With con, two forms are special: conmigo, with me (on the Foundation list too), and contigo, with you.
Prepositions key terms
The words the specification and the mark schemes use, each defined the way an examiner wants it.
- Preposition
- A small word that links a noun or a verb to the rest of the sentence, showing place, time or how things relate: a, de, en, con, para, sin.
- Personal a
- The a placed before a person who is the direct object of a verb: Conozco a tu hermana, I know your sister. It isn't translated.
- para
- For, or in order to before an infinitive: Ahorro para comprar una bici, I'm saving up to buy a bike.
- por
- Through, around, by or because of, and for in phrases such as gracias por: por la mañana, in the morning; por la ventana, through the window.
- antes de and después de
- Before and after. With a verb they take the infinitive: antes de comer, before eating.
- sin
- Without. With a verb it takes the infinitive: sin pensar, without thinking.
- cerca de
- Near. Like lejos de (far from) and delante de (in front of), it needs de before a noun: cerca del parque, near the park.
- conmigo
- With me, one word: ¿Vienes conmigo?, Are you coming with me?
- mí, ti and contigoHigher only
- Me and you after most prepositions: para mí, for me; sin ti, without you. With you after con is contigo.
Common mistakes in Prepositions
The slips that cost marks year after year, and what to do instead.
Leaving out the personal a, as in Visito mis abuelos.
Before a particular person who is the object of the verb, add a: Visito a mis abuelos, Ayudo a mi madre. Check every verb with a person straight after it.
Using the -ando or -iendo form after a preposition: antes de saliendo, sin comiendo.
After any preposition, Spanish uses the infinitive: antes de salir, sin comer, para aprender.
Copying the English order for possession, as in mi amigo coche for my friend's car.
Spanish puts the thing first and the owner after de: el coche de mi amigo.
Missing the de in a place phrase: cerca la playa, delante el cine.
Cerca, lejos, delante and detrás need de before a noun, and de with el becomes del: cerca de la playa, delante del cine.
Writing con mí or con yo for with me.
With me is one word, conmigo. At Higher, with you to a friend is contigo, and after most other prepositions me and you are mí and ti: para mí.
Practice
Try a Prepositions question
A GCSE-style original question from this topic. Have a go before you open the working - deciding on an answer first is what makes the working stick.
Which sentence means 'I know your brother really well'?
- Conozco muy bien tu hermano.
- Conozco muy bien a tu hermano.
- Conozco muy bien de tu hermano.
- Conozco muy bien con tu hermano.
Show the answer and the working
Answer: Conozco muy bien a tu hermano.
Tu hermano is a person and the object of conozco, so it takes the personal a: Conozco muy bien a tu hermano.
- Conozco means I know, for people and places.
- Here the object is a person, tu hermano.
- So it takes the personal a: I know your brother really well.