In this lesson
Six little words
Prepositions are the small words that connect everything: "to", "from", "with", "in". English has dozens. To start talking in Spanish, you need six:
| Spanish | Usually means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en | in, on, at | Estoy en la casa. |
| a | to | Voy a la tienda. |
| de | from, of | Soy de Texas. |
| con | with | Café con leche. |
| para | for | Es para ti. |
| por | (in set phrases for now) | Por favor. |
Don't try to translate every English preposition one by one. Learn what each Spanish word does, and you'll be right most of the time.
En: in, on and at
Here's the best news in this lesson: en covers "in", "on" and "at" about 90% of the time. In the house, on the table, at work: all en.
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| in the car | en el carro |
| on the table | en la mesa |
| at work | en el trabajo |
| in Mexico | en México |
| at the airport | en el aeropuerto |
Where you are
- Estoy en la casa.I'm at home.
- Tu celular está en la mesa.Your phone is on the table.
- Trabajo en una oficina.I work in an office.
- Vivo en Austin.I live in Austin.
- Te espero en el aeropuerto.I'll wait for you at the airport.
There are two places where "at" and "on" are not en. You'll see them in the next sections: telling the time and the days of the week.
A: to (and "at" for the time)
A is direction: where you're going.
Where you're going
- Voy a la tienda.I'm going to the store.
- Voy al parque.I'm going to the park.
- ¿Vas a la fiesta?Are you going to the party?
A + el always squeezes into al: Voy al parque, never a el parque. You'll practice ir a a lot more next class.
A also gives you the time: "at five o'clock" is a las cinco.
At what time?
- ¿A qué hora?At what time?
- A las cinco.At five.
- Tengo clase a las nueve.I have class at nine.
De: from and of
De tells you where something comes from, or who it belongs to:
From and of
- Soy de Texas.I'm from Texas.
- ¿De dónde eres?Where are you from?
- Es la casa de mi mamá.It's my mom's house.
- Un vaso de agua.A glass of water.
- Trabajo de nueve a cinco.I work from nine to five.
You saw the second job of de in the possessives class: Spanish has no 's, so "my mom's house" is la casa de mi mamá. And just like al, de + el becomes del: el carro del maestro.
Con: with
Con is "with", and it's easy, except for two forms you'll use all the time:
| with me | conmigo (never con yo or con mí) |
| with you | contigo (never con tú or con ti) |
| with him, with her | con él, con ella |
With
- Café con leche, por favor.Coffee with milk, please.
- Vivo con mi novia.I live with my girlfriend.
- ¿Quieres ir conmigo?Do you want to go with me?
- Sí, voy contigo.Yes, I'll go with you.
Para and por: just the basics
Para means "for": who something is for, or what it's for.
Para
- Este café es para ti.This coffee is for you.
- ¿Es para mí?Is it for me?
- Estudio español para mi trabajo.I study Spanish for my job.
Watch the little change: after para, "me" and "you" are mí and ti: para mí, para ti. Never para yo or para tú.
Por also translates as "for" sometimes, and por vs para is a whole class of its own later in A2. For now, learn por in phrases you'll use every day:
Por, in set phrases
- Por favor.Please.
- Por la mañana.In the morning.
- Por la noche.At night.
- Por eso.That's why.
- Gracias por todo.Thanks for everything.
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.Tu celular está ___ la mesa. (Your phone is on the table.)
2.Voy ___ parque. (I'm going to the park.)
3.¿Quieres ir ___? (Do you want to go with me?)
Common mistakes
✗Estoy a la casa.
✓Estoy en la casa.
Where you are is en. A is where you're going.
✗Voy en el parque.
✓Voy al parque.
Going somewhere is a, and a + el is al.
✗Voy a el cine.
✓Voy al cine.
A + el always becomes al.
✗¿Quieres ir con yo?
✓¿Quieres ir conmigo?
"With me" is conmigo, "with you" is contigo.
✗Este regalo es para tú.
✓Este regalo es para ti.
After para, it's mí and ti.
✗Tengo clase en el lunes.
✓Tengo clase el lunes.
No preposition before the day.
✗Tengo clase en las cinco.
✓Tengo clase a las cinco.
The time takes a.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Voy al parque con mi amigo.
- al: a + el, because you're going to el parque
- con: with, the easy one
And now making plans for Saturday:
¿Qué haces el sábado?
What are you doing on Saturday?
Voy al parque con mi amigo. ¿Quieres ir con nosotros?
I'm going to the park with my friend. Do you want to go with us?
¡Sí! ¿A qué hora?
Yes! At what time?
A las diez. Después vamos a comer en un restaurante del centro.
At ten. Then we're going to eat at a restaurant downtown.
¿Voy en carro o en metro?
Should I go by car or by metro?
En metro, es más fácil. Nos vemos en la estación.
By metro, it's easier. See you at the station.
¡Sale! Llevo agua para todos.
Deal! I'll bring water for everyone.
Del centro is "downtown": literally "of the center". ¡Sale! is the Mexican "deal!", from the filler words class.
Now make it yours: tell someone where you live, where you work, where you're going this weekend, at what time, and with whom.
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.Trabajo ___ una oficina. (I work in an office.)
2.Soy ___ Chicago. (I'm from Chicago.)
3.Tengo clase ___ las nueve. (I have class at nine.)
4.Es el carro ___ maestro. (It's the teacher's car.)
5.¿Esto es ___? (Is this for me?)
6.___ favor. (Please.)
All the forms
Prepositions: the cheat sheet
| Preposition | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en | where you are (in, on, at), how you travel | Estoy en el trabajo. Voy en metro. |
| a | where you're going, the time | Voy a la playa. A las cinco. |
| de | where you're from, whose, what it's made of, "from… to" | Soy de Texas. La casa de Ana. De nueve a cinco. |
| con | with | Café con leche. |
| para | who or what it's for | Es para ti. |
| por | set phrases (more in A2) | Por favor. Por la mañana. |
Contractions: a + el = al, de + el = del. Only with el.
With me, with you, for me, for you: conmigo, contigo, para mí, para ti.