Prepositions I
Spanish Grammar 1
Chapter 10 · Prepositions I: a, de, en, con, sin, hasta, desde
🧭 Prepositions I — Las preposiciones
Prepositions are the small words that link a noun to the rest of the sentence: a, de, en, con, sin, hasta, desde. Each has a core meaning, but each also has many smaller uses, and English prepositions do not line up with them one for one (on, in and at are often all en). This chapter gives the commonest uses of seven prepositions, the personal a that has no English equivalent, the special pronouns that follow prepositions (conmigo, para mí), and a list of verbs that need a particular preposition. por, para, entre, sobre and the other prepositions come in Spanish Grammar 2 10.
a
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| destination: to | Voy a Madrid. · Vamos al cine. | I'm going to Madrid. We're going to the cinema. |
| time: at, from | a las tres · a los veinte años | at three o'clock · at the age of twenty |
| rate, distance, price | dos veces a la semana · a diez kilómetros · a tres euros el kilo | twice a week · ten kilometres away · three euros a kilo |
| manner | a pie, a mano, a oscuras | on foot, by hand, in the dark |
| indirect object: to, for | Doy el libro a Ana. | I give the book to Ana. |
| direct object that is a person | Veo a Ana. | I see Ana. (the personal a) |
The personal a
When the direct object of a verb is a specific person (or a loved pet), Spanish puts a in front of it. English has nothing like this, so it is easy to forget.
| With a (a person) | Without a (a thing) |
|---|---|
| Veo a Ana. · Conozco a tu hermano. | Veo la casa. · Conozco este restaurante. |
| Busco a mi amigo Pablo. (a particular friend) | Busco un piso. · Busco un médico. (any doctor) |
| Quiero a mi perro. (I love my dog.) | Quiero un café. |
| No veo a nadie. · ¿Ves a alguien? | No veo nada. |
de
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| possession | el libro de Ana · la casa de mis padres | Ana's book · my parents' house |
| origin | Soy de Escocia. · Vengo de Madrid. | I'm from Scotland. I come from Madrid. |
| material | una mesa de madera | a wooden table |
| contents, quantity | un vaso de agua · un kilo de manzanas | a glass of water · a kilo of apples |
| topic | un libro de historia · Hablo de fútbol. | a history book · I talk about football |
| time of day | de noche, de día · las tres de la tarde | at night, by day · three in the afternoon |
| job or role | Trabaja de camarero. | He works as a waiter. |
| after a superlative (Spanish Grammar 1 6) | la más alta de la clase | the tallest in the class |
en
| Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| place: in, on, at | Estoy en casa. · Vivo en Edimburgo. · El libro está en la mesa. | I'm at home. I live in Edinburgh. The book is on the table. |
| months, seasons, years | en mayo, en verano, en 2026 | in May, in summer, in 2026 |
| transport: by | en coche, en tren, en avión (but a pie) | by car, by train, by plane (but on foot) |
| language | Hablo en español. · en inglés | I speak in Spanish. in English |
| how long until: in, within | Llego en dos horas. | I'll arrive in two hours. |
con and sin
| Word | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| con (with) | company | Viajo con mi hermana. | I travel with my sister. |
| instrument | Corto el pan con un cuchillo. | I cut the bread with a knife. | |
| manner | con cuidado · con mucho gusto | carefully · with pleasure | |
| sin (without) | no article before an unspecific noun | café sin azúcar · sin coche | coffee without sugar · without a car |
| + infinitive | sin hablar · sin querer | without speaking · unintentionally |
desde and hasta
| Word | Use | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| desde (from, since) | starting point in time or place | desde las nueve · desde mi casa | from nine o'clock · from my house |
| desde hace + time | duration up to now (the present tense stays) | Vivo aquí desde hace dos años. | I've lived here for two years. |
| hasta (until, as far as) | end point | hasta las cinco · hasta aquí · Hasta mañana. · Hasta luego. | until five · as far as here · See you tomorrow. See you later. |
| hasta | "even" | Hasta mi abuelo lo sabe. | Even my grandfather knows. |
| desde … hasta … / de … a … | from … to … | desde las nueve hasta las cinco · de lunes a viernes | from nine until five · from Monday to Friday |
Pronouns after prepositions
After a preposition Spanish uses a special set of pronouns. They are the same as the subject pronouns, except for mí and ti, and con merges with them in three forms:
| Person | After a preposition | With con |
|---|---|---|
| me | mí: para mí, a mí, de mí | conmigo (with me) |
| you (tú) | ti: para ti, sin ti, de ti | contigo (with you) |
| him, her, you (usted) | él, ella, usted: sin él, para ella, de usted | con él, con ella, con usted |
| himself, herself, themselves | sí: para sí | consigo (with himself / herself) |
| us, you (all), them | nosotros, vosotros, ellos, ellas, ustedes | con nosotros and so on |
The exceptions are entre (between), según (according to), como (as, like), excepto / salvo (except), which take the plain subject pronoun: entre tú y yo, según tú, como yo.
Verbs that take a fixed preposition
Many verbs are followed by a particular preposition that English does not use or uses differently. Learn the verb together with its preposition.
| With a | With de | With en | With con |
|---|---|---|---|
| ir a + infinitive to be going to | hablar de to talk about | pensar en to think about | soñar con to dream of |
| aprender a to learn to | depender de to depend on | creer en to believe in | casarse con to marry |
| empezar a to begin to | acordarse de to remember | confiar en to trust | contar con to count on |
| ayudar a to help to | dejar de to stop (doing) | tardar en to take time to | encontrarse con to meet (by chance) |
| volver a to do again | acabar de to have just | insistir en to insist on | salir con to go out with |
🗣️ In Use — En situación
Read the exchanges aloud and find each preposition.
① A journey
② The personal a
③ Since and until
📋 Quick Reference — Resumen
| Preposition | Main uses |
|---|---|
| a | destination, time (a las tres), rate, manner (a pie), indirect object, personal a |
| de | possession, origin, material, contents, topic, time of day, job |
| en | place (in, on, at), months and years, transport, language, "in two hours" |
| con / sin | with / without; conmigo, contigo; sin + noun with no article |
| desde / hasta | from / until; desde hace + time; de … a … |
| contractions | a + el = al, de + el = del; en el and con el stay separate |
| after a preposition | mí, ti, él, ella, usted…; exceptions after entre, según, como |
✏️ Try It Yourself — Ejercicios
Say the answer first, then click to check.
1. Fill in a, de, en, con, sin: "Voy ___ Madrid ___ tren." · "Es el libro ___ Ana." · "Vivo ___ Edimburgo." · "un café ___ leche" · "un café ___ azúcar"
Show answer
Voy a Madrid en tren. · el libro de Ana · Vivo en Edimburgo · un café con leche · un café sin azúcar.
2. Add the personal a where needed: "Veo ___ Ana." · "Veo ___ la casa." · "Busco ___ mi amigo." · "Busco ___ un piso." · "No veo ___ nadie."
Show answer
Veo a Ana · Veo la casa (no a, a thing) · Busco a mi amigo · Busco un piso (no a, a thing) · No veo a nadie.
3. Combine: Voy a + el cine · la casa de + el profesor · Estoy en + el mercado.
Show answer
Voy al cine · la casa del profesor · Estoy en el mercado (en + el does not contract).
4. Say in Spanish: "with me", "with you" (tú), "for me", "without him", "between you and me".
Show answer
conmigo · contigo · para mí · sin él · entre tú y yo.
5. Say in Spanish: "by car", "on foot", "at three o'clock", "in May", "in Spanish".
Show answer
en coche · a pie · a las tres · en mayo · en español.
6. Say in Spanish: "from nine until five", "from Monday to Friday", "See you tomorrow."
Show answer
desde las nueve hasta las cinco · de lunes a viernes · Hasta mañana.
7. Say in Spanish: "to think about", "to dream of", "to learn to swim", "to stop smoking".
Show answer
pensar en · soñar con · aprender a nadar · dejar de fumar.
8. Say in Spanish: "I've lived here for two years."
Show answer
Vivo aquí desde hace dos años. (The Spanish present tense stays; desde hace carries the "for".)
9. Say in Spanish: "I'm going home." and "I'm at home."
Show answer
Voy a casa. · Estoy en casa. (a for movement, en for position)
10. Correct the mistakes: Voy en Madrid · Veo Ana · Vivo a Edimburgo · Estoy con ti.
Show answer
Voy a Madrid (movement) · Veo a Ana (personal a) · Vivo en Edimburgo (position) · Estoy contigo (con + ti becomes contigo).