Prepositions are essential for connecting words and phrases, indicating relationships of place, time and more.
On this page, you’ll find a quick and easy guide with explanations and examples of common Spanish prepositions. This will help you understand how they work and how to use them naturally in sentences.
Spanish prepositions are invariable and connect other parts in the sentence. Therefore, a preposition needs of another word or element so it can complement this one (for example, a noun).
Common Prepositions in Spanish
List of Prepositions
a
to
ante
in front of, before
bajo
below, under
con
with
contra
against
de
of
desde
from
durante
during
en
in
entre
between/ among
hacia
for, to, forward
hasta
up to, until
mediante
by, with
para
for, to
por
for
según
according to
sin
without
sobre
above, over
tras
after, behind
Some prepositions can havetheir own meaning:
sin
lack, shortage
bajo
below, under
sobre
above, over, about
tras
after, behind
ante
facing, before, in front of
Other will have different meaning depending on the context:
CON
Estoy con Laura
I am with Laura
Corto el papel con las tijeras
I cut paper with the scissors
Sara me saludó con dos besos
Sara greeted me with two kisses
And finally some prepositions don’t mean anything on its own as a word:
a
Vi a Pablo en la calle
I saw Pablo on the street
de
Soy de Valencia
I am from Valencia
Below are presented some prepositions that are combined with conjunctions:
a
Espero a que me llames
I wait for your call
con
Me conformo con que apruebes
I’ll settle with you passing the test
de
Me alegro de que hayas venido
I’m glad (that) you came
desde
Desde que madrugo, duermo mejor
Since I get up early, I sleep better
en
Estoy de acuerdo en que dejes el trabajo
I agree that you quit the job
hasta
Te espero hasta que acabes
I wait until you finish
para
Te llamo para que me ayudes
I call you so you can help me
por
Tengo preocupación por que llegues tarde
I’m worried about you being late
sin
Lo he hecho sin que me ayudes
I have done it without your help
Prepositional phrases are those that are formed by two or more words that work as a preposition, as follows:
a causa de
because of
acerca de
about
con relación a
relative to, regarding
a fin de
in order to
de cara a
with regard to
de acuerdo con
according to
en relación con
in relation with
junto a
next to
respecto de
regarding
This content about Spanish prepositions will give you a solid base to start using them in different sentences and contexts.
For other important types of words, you can visit our Basics menu. You will find a list of common adjectives in Spanish among other topics.
