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Rising your being

All Spanish Prepositions

This book is intended to explain how to use the 23 prepositions existing in the Spanish language to students of Spanish as a second language or to Spanish native speakers who want to acquire, refresh or improve their knowledge on this topic.

Studying prepositions in any language is one of the hardest tasks because there are several rules to follow as well as some exceptions.

The various rule categories are explained for each preposition along with numerous examples. These examples cover different contexts to give the reader multiple usage options of the language throughout the 427 examples in Spanish which are translated into English.

By reading this book and analyzing the examples, the usage of prepositions in Spanish will eventually become a second nature to you.

With that being said, let’s get started!

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Table of content

Definition

Usage and some examples of each preposition in Spanish

Usage of the preposition “A”

To indicate destination
To express ending or limit
To indicate location
To express purpose
To indicate distribution (“por” can also be used)
To indicate manner

Usage of the preposition “ANTE”

To indicate location with respect to the observer
To express a cause or reason
To express preference

Usage of the preposition “BAJO”

To express location in a lower position
To express ‘protección’ or ‘control’
To express ‘subjugation’
To express ‘concealment’

Usage of the preposition “CABE”

To express “cerca de” (near)

Usage of the preposition “CON”

To express company
To express collaboration or joint actions:
To express a tool or a means to do something
To express the means, material or immaterial, used to do something
To express the qualities of somebody or something
To express the way a process is carried out
With an infinitive to indicate concession
To indicate condition
With nominal groups

Usage of the preposition “CONTRA”

To indicate opposition in all varieties. It introduces nouns to specify the person or thing to which somebody or something is against
To express the recipient of an action
To express the person or thing affected by a reprehensible action
To express location
In some restricted contexts, it can be used to mean ‘a cambio de’

Usage of the preposition “DE”

To express spatial origin
To express temporary origin of something
To express genitive character (dependency, possession)
To express appositive character (when a noun or a nominal group follows immediately after another element of the same class)
To highlight the agent (action creator)
To highlight the recipient of an action
To express the whole from which a part is highlighted
To express what it is characterized by certain property
To express the matter from which something is made of
To express the purpose of usage of something
To express the cause or the reason of being
To express cause, generally, extreme causes
When used with an infinitive, it creates conditional constructions
To express figurative meaning of origin
To express fastening (connection)
To express absence of something
To express what something is occupying. Often, a place or a container.
To express judgement or provide information on names of disciplines, subjects or issues (some can be replaced by “sobre” or “acerca de”)
To express what is affected by something

Usage of the preposition “DESDE”

To express the origin or the starting point of a process. (In some cases, “a partir de” and “de” can also be used).
To express the reference from which a measure is established
To indicate the place from which something is perceived
To indicate a time-related unit
To express the cause of something interpreted as its origin
To mean ‘en cuanto’

Usage of the preposition “DURANTE”

To establish a concrete duration. (The simultaneity of two actions)

Usage of the preposition “EN”

To indicate location
To indicate time
To indicate motion or the result of a process
To indicate the period of time in which a situation happens. “A lo largo de” can also be used
To express the state or condition of something or somebody

Usage of the preposition “ENTRE”

To express location by limits in a space dimension
To express location by limits in a time dimension
To express location by limits in another type of dimension
To highlight a quality among all the individual possessing it
To express a varied relationship between people or things and, sometimes, it has reciprocal sense
To express addition

Usage of the preposition “HACIA”

To express direction or orientation with respect to a point. Sometimes, “a” can also be used.

To express approximate time

Usage of the preposition “HASTA”

To express the limit of an action, a process or a situation
To talk about space limits
To express multiplication of events
To express ‘lo más adelante posible’
To express ‘lo más atrás posible’
With adverbs in a direct object
To create sentence complements
In sentences with cause or consecutive interpretation

Usage of the preposition “MEDIANTE”

To express the method or means to do something. “Con” can also be used.

Usage of the preposition “PARA”

To indicate destination
To show the use or purpose of a thing
To mean “in order to” or “for the purpose of”
To indicate a recipient
To express a deadline or specific time
To express a contrast from what is expected
“estar para” to express an action that will soon be completed (it’s about to happen)
To express an opinion
Some idiomatic expressions with “Para”

Usage of the preposition “POR”

To express gratitude or apology
For multiplication
For velocity, frequency and proportion
Meaning “through,” “along,” “by” or “in the area of”
When talking about exchange, including sales
To mean “on behalf of,” or “in favor of,”
To express a length of time
To express an undetermined, or general time, meaning “during”
For means of communication or transportation
In cases of mistaken identity, or meaning “to be seen as”
To show the reason for an errand
When followed by an infinitive, to express an action that remains to be completed, use “por + infinitive”

To express cause or reason
“Estar por” means to be in the mood, or inclined to do something
In passive constructions
Some idiomatic expressions with “Por”

Usage of the preposition “SEGÚN”

To express ‘conforme a’ or ‘de acuerdo con’
To express ‘en función de’ or ‘dependiendo de’
To introduce indirect sentences
To form relative groups

Usage of the preposition “SIN”

To express lack or absence of something
With a noun subordinate in the predicate
To form participle adjectives
To express absence of collaboration or company
To express absence of something or not included
As a conditional clause
“no + participle” = “sin + Infinitive”
“no + gerund” = “sin + infinitive”
Preceded by the adverb “no”, it forms a kind of habitual lítotes (attenuation). “Litotes” is an expression in which the speaker, without saying all what they want to say, they make their intention understood, and it is done by negating the opposite of what is intended to be said

Usage of the preposition “SO”

With the locution “so pena de” (bajo amenaza de which means “under the threat of”).
With the locutions “So pretexto de”, “so color de”, or “so capa de”. (Con el pretexto de, con la excusa de, con la disculpa de, con el motivo aparente de, which means “under the pretext of”).

Usage of the preposition “SOBRE”

To express location on the vertical axis with or without physical contact.
To express prominence or priority
To express the topic of something
With nominal groups related to approximate time

Usage of the preposition “TRAS”

To identify the person or thing put before others
What is behind a succession either static or dynamic
When referring to time, it means “después de”
To express the repeatition of something in a sequence of time with “noun + tras + noun”