Common Prepositions

Prepositions (preposiciones) are small but mighty words that show relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other parts of the sentence. They indicate location, direction, time, manner, and more. Mastering Spanish prepositions is essential for speaking and writing naturally.

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The Most Common Spanish Prepositions

Here is a comprehensive list of the most frequently used prepositions in Spanish:

Preposition	Primary Meaning	Example
a	to, at	Voy a la tienda.
de	of, from	Es de España.
en	in, on, at	Estoy en casa.
con	with	Voy con mis amigos.
sin	without	Café sin azúcar.
por	for, by, through	Pasamos por el centro.
para	for, in order to	Es para ti.
entre	between, among	Entre tú y yo.
sobre	on, about, over	El libro está sobre la mesa.
bajo	under	Bajo la lluvia.
desde	from, since	Vivo aquí desde 2010.
hasta	until, up to	Trabajo hasta las seis.
hacia	toward	Caminó hacia la puerta.
según	according to	Según el profesor, es correcto.
contra	against	Están contra la decisión.
durante	during	Durante la clase.
mediante	by means of	Lo consiguió mediante esfuerzo.
tras	after, behind	Tras la reunión, se fue.

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The Personal "A"

One of the most distinctive features of Spanish is the personal a (a personal). It is used before direct objects that are specific people or personified entities:

When to Use It

• Veo a María. — I see María.
• Llamo a mi madre. — I call my mother.
• Conozco a tu hermano. — I know your brother.
• Busco a mi gato. — I'm looking for my cat. (pets are often treated as people)

When NOT to Use It

• Veo el edificio. (NOT Veo a el edificio.) — Things don't take the personal a.
• Busco un médico. — I'm looking for a doctor. (unspecific — any doctor)

Compare:

• Busco a un médico. — I'm looking for a (specific) doctor. (I know which one.)
• Busco un médico. — I'm looking for a doctor. (any doctor will do.)

Special Cases

Context	Example	Explanation
Named people	Veo a Pedro.	Always use personal a
Pronouns referring to people	No conozco a nadie.	Required with alguien, nadie, quien
Pets (emotional bond)	Quiero a mi perro.	Common with beloved pets
Tener (to have)	Tengo dos hermanos.	No personal a with tener
Organizations as people	Admiro a Médicos Sin Fronteras.	When treated as a person/entity

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Detailed Guide to Key Prepositions

A (to, at)

Uses of a beyond the personal a:

Use	Example	English
Direction/destination	Voy a Madrid.	I go to Madrid.
Time	Llego a las tres.	I arrive at three.
Distance	Está a cinco kilómetros.	It's five kilometres away.
Manner	Escrito a mano.	Written by hand.
After ir + a + infinitive	Voy a estudiar.	I'm going to study.

De (of, from)

Use	Example	English
Origin	Soy de México.	I'm from Mexico.
Possession	El libro de Juan.	Juan's book.
Material	Una mesa de madera.	A wooden table.
Topic/about	Un libro de historia.	A history book.
Part of a whole	Una taza de café.	A cup of coffee.
Time (from)	De lunes a viernes.	From Monday to Friday.

En (in, on, at)

Use	Example	English
Location	Estoy en la oficina.	I'm at the office.
Inside	Está en la caja.	It's in the box.
On a surface	Está en la mesa.	It's on the table.
Transport	Voy en coche.	I go by car.
Time period	En enero. / En verano.	In January. / In summer.
Language	En español.	In Spanish.

Desde and Hasta (From...To / Since...Until)

These two prepositions often work as a pair:

• Desde las ocho hasta las cinco. — From eight until five.
• Vivo aquí desde 2015. — I've lived here since 2015.
• Caminamos desde la playa hasta el centro. — We walked from the beach to the centre.

Entre (Between, Among)

• Entre tú y yo, no me gusta. — Between you and me, I don't like it.
• El gato está entre las cajas. — The cat is between the boxes.
• Entre todos, lo conseguimos. — Among all of us, we managed it.