In this lesson we will cover the topic of learning Spanish prepositions other than por and para. Considering that there are so many prepositions and because they have so many rules, let’s leave «por and para» for our next lesson. We will study all of the other Spanish prepositions in this lesson while paying attention to the examples.
A:
– Movimiento: We use «A» with verbs that indicate moving and destinations. For example: Viajar/Salir/Venir/Ir (To Travel/to go out/to come/to go)
«El viernes viajaré a Montevideo para asistir a una conferencia.» (On Friday I will travel to Montevideo to attend a conference.)
• Indirect Object: Introduce «to who» in a sentence.
«Le lave las copas a mi madre.» (I washed the cups for my mother.)
– Direct Object: Introduce the indirect object when the «qué» in a sentence is a person.
«Veo a Juan todos los días.» (I see Juan every day.)
– Sometimes it is synonymous with «Para». When «para» is used as an objective, we can use «a».
«Vine a jugar con los niños.» (I have come to play with the kids)
– Distancia: Mi casa está a 5 cuadras de aquí. (My house is 5 blocks away)
ANTE:
– Place: «Ante»is a preposition whose meaning is «in front of/before». But we can speak about a real position, presence or where we are in relation to a situation (I can see this situation).
«Habló ante 1.500 personas».(He spoke in front of 1.500 people)
«Ante un nuevo incidente laboral, su jefe decidió despedirlo».( Before a new work-related incident, his boss decided to fire him)
– «Ante todo»: in first place. «Ante todo quiero decirles…..» (First, let me tell you…)
BAJO:
– Inferior Position: As with «ante»we are speaking about a real position: «El boligrafo está bajo el libro» (The pen is under the book), or localized in a situation: «Estoy bajo las órdenes de mi jefe» (I am under orders from my boss).
CON:
– Using «Con» we are speaking about company.
«Vivo con mis padres» (I live with my parents), «Fui al cine con Ramón» (I went to the cinema with Ramón).
– Content: «Tengo una caja con fotos viejas» (I have a box with old photos).
– Instrument: «Lo escribió con lápiz» (She wrote it with a pencil).
– Mode: «Ella lo dijo con miedo» (She said it scared)
CONTRA:
– Versus: El domingo van a jugar un partido de fútbol River contra Boca. (On Sunday River will play against Boca in a football match. )
– Position: We use «contra»to indicate that something is against another thing. For example: «El sillón está contra la pared» (The couch is against the wall)
DE:
– Possession: «¿De quién es el gato? El gato es de Melina.» (Who’s cat is that? The cat is Melina’s.)
– Origen: «¿De dónde son tus alumnos? Mis alumnos son de Oxford». (Where are your students from? My students are from Oxford) «La mesa es de China». (The table is from China)
– Material: «¿De qué material es la copa? La copa es de cristal» (What material is the cup? The cup is made of glass)
– De/a: «La clase es de 9 a 1, de lunes a viernes».( The class is from 9 to 1, from Monday to Friday)
DESDE:
– «Desde» is the starting point, in Time or Space.
«Estudio español desde 1998». (I have studied Spanish since 1998)
«He venido caminando desde mi casa». (I have come walking from my home)
– Desde/Hasta: «La clase es desde las 9 hasta la 1». «Desde el lunes hasta el viernes». ( The class is from 9 to 1, from Monday to Friday)
EN:
– Location: «El gato está en la cocina»(The cat is in the kitchen)
– Date: With «en»we can indicate a date. «Nos conocimos en 1998″(We met in 1998).
– Future: «Terminaré la facultad en 3 años». (I will finish university in 3 years)
ENTRE:
– Between: «Mi casa está en la calle Cabrera, entre Medrano y Figueroa» (My house is on Cabrera street, between Medrano y Figueroa).
– Cooperation: «Lo hicimos entre todos». (It was made by all)
HACIA:
– Direction: «Si vamos hacia el norte tenemos que llevar ropa de verano»( If we are going to the north we have to wear summer clothes)
HASTA:
– «Hasta» Is the Arriving Point in Space or Time: «Hay 10 minutos desde aquí hasta mi casa».( It is 10 minutes from here to my house).
– We use «hasta» frequently to say: see you tomorrow/later/ on Monday: » Hasta mañana/luego/el lunes.»
SEGÚN:
– According to: «Según Freud los sueños son manifestaciones del inconsciente».( According to Freud dreams are manifestations of the unconscious)
– Depending: sometimes it is synonymous with «depends»: «No sé si voy en auto o colectivo, según dónde sea»( I do not know if I will go by car or bus, it depends on where it is)
SIN:
– Without: «Tomo el café sin azúcar»(I drink coffee without sugar)
SOBRE:
– The topic: «Estamos hablando sobre la amistad entre el hombre y la mujer». (We’re talking about friendship between man and woman)
– Place: «On». «El plato está sobre la mesa»( The dish is on the table)
TRAS:
– Behind: We are speaking about a position, or behind a situation.
«La policía se fue tras el ladrón».( The police went after the thief)
«Tras los robos, la policía decidió investigar».( After the robbery, the police decided to investigate)
For further help on this topic I recommend the book Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions by Dorothy Richmond. For conjugating Spanish verbs you may want to try the Verbarrator software. And for very a comprehensive book on Spanish grammar in general, try A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish by John Butt.