Spanish prepositions: everything you need up to B1
This guide covers the essential Spanish prepositions you need up to B1 level: what they mean, how they work in real sentences, and which verbs they usually go with. One good thing to know from the start: Spanish prepositions never change form.
What are prepositions?
Prepositions are the small words that link the parts of a sentence and show relationships such as time, place, direction, cause, purpose or manner. They usually come before a noun, a pronoun or an infinitive. In Spanish they never stand on their own, and some of them combine with articles or pronouns in fixed ways: a + el → al, de + el → del, and special forms like conmigo and contigo.
Why do learners find Spanish prepositions so tricky?
There’s rarely a one-to-one match with English, many verbs are tied to a particular preposition, and the same little word can mean different things depending on the context. The way to master them is plenty of exposure (reading and listening), noticing common chunks of language and learning the most frequent verb + preposition combinations by heart.
The key prepositions and how to use them
a
- Time: La clase empieza a las ocho. → The class starts at eight.
- Direction or destination: Voy a París. → I’m going to Paris.
- The “personal a“, used when the object of the verb is a person: Vi a Luisa. → I saw Luisa.
de
- Possession: La casa de mis abuelos. → My grandparents’ house.
- Origin: Soy de Madrid. → I’m from Madrid.
- Material: Una mesa de madera. → A wooden table.
- Contents or quantity: Un vaso de leche. → A glass of milk.
en
- Place: Trabajo en Bruselas. → I work in Brussels.
- Point in time: En verano hace mucho calor. → It’s very hot in summer.
- Time taken to do something: Termino en una hora. → I’ll be done in an hour.
- Means of transport: Voy al trabajo en metro. → I go to work by metro.
con
- Company: Voy con unos amigos. → I’m going with some friends.
- Instrument or manner: Escribe con lápiz. → He writes with a pencil.
- Special forms with pronouns: Ven conmigo. → Come with me.
para and por
- para expresses purpose, the person something is for, a destination or a deadline: Es para mi madre. → It’s for my mother. Lo necesito para el lunes. → I need it by Monday.
- por expresses cause, exchange, the route you take or an approximate time: Lo hice por ti. → I did it for you (for your sake). Paseamos por el parque. → We went for a walk in the park.
More high-frequency prepositions (B1)
sin
- Absence or lack of something: Un café sin azúcar. → A coffee without sugar.
entre
- Position, or something shared by a group: Entre amigos todo es más fácil. → Everything’s easier among friends.
sobre
- On top of: Las llaves están sobre la mesa. → The keys are on the table.
- About (a topic): Un libro sobre historia. → A book about history.
- Approximately: Llego sobre las cinco. → I’ll be there at about five.
desde and hasta
- From… to/until (time or place): Abierto desde las nueve hasta las seis. → Open from nine to six.
hacia
- Direction: Caminan hacia la plaza. → They’re walking towards the square.
- Approximate time: Llegaron hacia las diez. → They arrived at around ten.
contra
- Opposition: Está en contra de la idea. → He’s against the idea.
- Physical contact: Apoyó la bici contra la pared. → She leaned the bike against the wall.
ante
- Before, in the presence of: Declaró ante el juez. → He testified before the judge.
bajo
- Under, subject to: Bajo presión todo cambia. → Everything changes under pressure.
tras
- After, behind: Tras la lluvia salió el sol. → After the rain, the sun came out.
según
- According to: Según el informe, todo va bien. → According to the report, everything’s fine.
mediante
- By means of: Pagó mediante transferencia. → He paid by bank transfer.
durante
- During, throughout: Durante el verano viajamos mucho. → We travel a lot during the summer.
Common verb + preposition combinations (B1)
- acostumbrarse a (get used to), atreverse a (dare to), aprender a (learn to)
- acordarse de (remember), depender de (depend on), tratar de (try to)
- confiar en (trust), pensar en (think about), fijarse en (notice)
- soñar con (dream of), contar con (count on), casarse con (marry)
- luchar por (fight for), preocuparse por (worry about), trabajar para (work for a company)
Quick tips
- Learn verbs and their prepositions together, as a single chunk.
- Watch out for contractions (al, del) and special forms like conmigo and contigo.
- For por vs. para, a useful rule of thumb: para looks forward (purpose, destination, deadline), while por looks back at the cause, or describes the route or the exchange.
- Read and listen to Spanish every day: the more you hear these little words, the more natural they’ll feel.
