Herramientas de la lengua
Prepositions: Things to know
Why do you want to know this?
Prepositions are one of the hardest things to get right when we acquire a language as a second language. Even when we acquire the language at home, prepositions can be a challenge, especially if our home language learning was interrupted and another language became dominant. Making errors with prepositions can hinder understanding at times, so we want to get them right!
1. ¿What are prepositions?
Preposiciones are words that convey a sense of position (spatial or conceptual). Their use is mostly the same as in English but there are some aspects that are different.
2. Prepositions – using the right form of verb after a preposition
- In English, when a verb comes after a preposition we use what is called the “gerund” better understood as the “ING” form of a verb.
- After singing I am happy. My eyes hurt from reading so much
- In Spanish, when a verb comes after a preposition we use what is called the “infinitive” better understood as the verbs that end in ‘ar’ “er” or “ir”
- Después de cantar estoy feliz. Los ojos me duelen por leer tanto
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 3 puntos Debes lograr todos ¡Suerte!
3. Prepositions – obligatory ones
When using expresiones with two verbs like “start eating” Spanish requires a preposition sandwiched in between, even when English doesn’t. Once you are aware and start using them regularly it becomes easier!
- The preposition “a” has to go after the verbs “Ir” “comenzar”, “aprender”, and “volver” when the next word is a verb too.
- Let’s start eating – Comencemos a comer
- Let’s go walking – Vamos a caminar
- I learned to read – Aprendí a leer
- I will talk again – Volverá a hablar
- The preposition “de” has to go after the verbs “terminar”, “acabar”, and “tratar” when the next word is a verb too.
- We finished eating – Terminamos de comer
- He just asked – Acaba de pedir
- We try to improve – Tratamos de mejorar
- The preposition “en” has to go after the verbs “insistir”, quedar” and “tardar” when the next word is a verb too.
- I insist on paying – Insisto en pagar
- We agreed to wait – Quedamos en esperar
- He was slow to arrive – Tardó en llegar
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 10 puntos Debes lograr al menos 8 ¡Suerte!
4. Prepositions in contractions
- Spanish is great when it comes to contractions because we only have two!
- a + el = al (Voy al banco)
- de + el = del (Soy del planeta Tierra)
* the “el” we use in contractions means “the” not “he”
¡Practiquemos!
¡Hola! A continuación tienes un ejercicio para un total de 5 puntos Debes lograr al menos 4 ¡Suerte!
5. Prepositions – Por y Para
- Knowing when to use each one of these can be tough, especially for those who learn Spanish as a second language! Practice and usage make it easier. Go to this page to explore this unique theme.
This unit “Prepositions – Things to know” was created by Alegría Ribadeneira by combining original material and portions from sections about prepositions in Spanish Grammar in Context by Jacqueline Larsen Serigos and Adriano Trovato, licensed CC BY-NC-SA , Empecemos por aquí by Jenny Ceciliano and Lisa Notman, licensed CC BY-NC, and Entrada Libre by Nancy Ballesteros, Alejandro Lee, Nicolás Cristoso, & Cristina Moon, licensed CC BY-NC-SA.
