A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another element in the sentence — typically expressing location, direction, time, or manner.
Type
Prepositions
Example
Location
in, on, at, under, above
The book is on the table.
Direction
to, from, into, toward
She walked to the store.
Time
at, in, on, before, after
We meet at 9.
Manner
with, without, by
He came by car.
Purpose
for
This is for you.
Agent
by
Written by her.
English preposition examples
Sentence
Preposition
Function
The keys are on the table.
on
location
She lives in the city.
in
location
I’ll meet you at the door.
at
location
He traveled from Spain.
from
origin
Go to the office.
to
direction
She left before noon.
before
time
We’ll talk after dinner.
after
time
He came with his family.
with
accompaniment
She did it without help.
without
absence
I did it by accident.
by
manner
How Spanish prepositions work
Spanish prepositions function similarly to English ones, but they don’t map one-to-one. A single Spanish preposition can cover multiple English prepositions — and vice versa.
The biggest source of confusion: por and para both translate as “for” or “by” but serve very different purposes.
The core prepositions
Spanish
English equivalent(s)
Primary use
a
to / at
direction, destination, time, indirect object marker
de
of / from / about
origin, possession, material, topic
en
in / on / at
location, inside, upon
con
with
accompaniment, instrument
sin
without
absence
por
for / by / through / because of
cause, exchange, duration, means
para
for / in order to / by (deadline)
purpose, recipient, destination, deadline
desde
from / since
starting point (place or time)
hasta
until / up to
endpoint (place or time)
entre
between / among
position between two things
a — to / at
Use
Spanish
English
Destination
Voy a la tienda.
I’m going to the store.
Time
Llegamos a las 9.
We arrive at 9.
Indirect object marker
Le doy el libro a María.
I give the book to Maria.
After verbs of motion
Empezó a llover.
It started to rain.
Personal a (before people)
Veo a María.
I see Maria.
Distance
Está a 5 kilómetros.
It’s 5 kilometers away.
Frequency
Dos veces a la semana.
Twice a week.
Manner
Cocinado a fuego lento.
Cooked over low heat.
Command (with infinitive)
¡A comer!
Let’s eat! / Time to eat!
Price per unit
Tres euros a la docena.
Three euros a dozen.
de — of / from / about
Use
Spanish
English
Origin
Soy de España.
I’m from Spain.
Possession
El coche de Juan.
Juan’s car.
Material
Una mesa de madera.
A wooden table.
Topic
Hablamos de trabajo.
We talked about work.
Part of a group
Uno de nosotros.
One of us.
Description
Un vaso de agua.
A glass of water.
Time (from…to)
De lunes a viernes.
From Monday to Friday.
Cause
Morir de risa.
To die of laughter.
Adjective + de + inf.
Es difícil de hacer.
It’s hard to do.
Superlative
El mejor del mundo.
The best in the world.
en — in / on / at
Use
Spanish
English
Location (inside)
Está en la casa.
It’s in the house.
Location (on surface)
El libro está en la mesa.
The book is on the table.
Location (at a place)
Trabajo en una oficina.
I work at an office.
Transport
Voy en coche.
I go by car.
Language
Está escrito en español.
It’s written in Spanish.
Time (months, years, seasons)
Nací en julio.
I was born in July.
Duration
Lo hice en una hora.
I did it in one hour.
State / condition
En silencio.
In silence.
Wearing
Está en pijama.
He’s in pajamas.
Price
Lo compré en diez euros.
I bought it for ten euros.
con — with / sin — without
Spanish
English
Café con leche.
Coffee with milk.
Vivo con mi familia.
I live with my family.
Habla con acento.
He speaks with an accent.
Lo hizo con cuidado.
She did it with care.
Ella vino con su amigo.
She came with her friend.
Lo hice sin ayuda.
I did it without help.
Café sin azúcar.
Coffee without sugar.
Salió sin decir nada.
He left without saying anything.
Lo terminó sin problemas.
She finished it without problems.
Viajó sin dinero.
He traveled without money.
desde / hasta — from-to, since-until
Spanish
English
Desde Madrid hasta Barcelona.
From Madrid to Barcelona.
Trabajo desde las 8 hasta las 5.
I work from 8 to 5.
Vivo aquí desde 2010.
I’ve lived here since 2010.
Desde el principio hasta el final.
From beginning to end.
Espera hasta que llegue.
Wait until he/she arrives.
Desde niño.
Since childhood.
Hasta luego.
See you later. (lit. until later)
Desde aquí se ve todo.
From here you can see everything.
Hasta mañana.
See you tomorrow. (until tomorrow)
No lo supe hasta ayer.
I didn’t know until yesterday.
Common mistakes
❌ Voy a la tienda a las 9 en la mañana → ✅ Voy a la tienda a las 9 de la mañana — de for “of the morning”, not en
❌ Estudio en la biblioteca a mi examen → ✅ Estudio para mi examen — purpose/goal uses para
❌ Viajo a coche → ✅ Viajo en coche — transportation uses en
❌ Soy de Madrid a 2010 → ✅ Vivo en Madrid desde 2010 — “since” a time = desde
❌ Forgetting the personal a before people: Veo María → ✅ Veo a María
Summary
Spanish prepositions don’t map one-to-one with English
Core ones: a (to/at), de (of/from), en (in/on/at), con (with), sin (without)
desde...hasta = from…to / since…until
The personal a is unique to Spanish — required before specific people as direct objects
por vs para is the trickiest pair — covered separately