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What is a preposition in Spanish? A préposición (preposition) is a word or phrase that explains the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. They’re common words like en (on/in), de (from), and a (to/at) that help us communicate more clearly. 

With a complete list, contextual examples, and a breakdown by function, you’ll cover all the essential Spanish prepositions, their functions in Spanish grammar, and how to use them effectively in this guide. 

Why learn Spanish prepositions?

As in any language, Spanish prepositions are an important part of learning to speak with greater precision and fluency. Take the following example:

• Las flores están en la mesa. = The flowers are on the table. 

In the sentence above, en (on) is a preposition that shows the relationship between “the flowers” and “the table” in terms of location. Now, consider how each preposition can give the sentence a different meaning:

• Las flores están debajo de la mesa. = The flowers are below the table.
• Las flores están encima de la mesa. = The flowers are on top of the table.
• Las flores están cerca de la mesa. = The flowers are near the table.
• Las flores están al lado de la mesa. = The flowers are next to the table.

Using the right preposition is essential for effective communication. Mastering prepositions in Spanish will help you speak more descriptively and give you a strong foundation to build on as you broaden your vocabulary. 

What functions do Spanish prepositions serve? 

Prepositions serve several functions, allowing speakers to express relationships and ideas. Here are some of their common functions in Spanish:

Complete list of common Spanish prepositions

This list will give you an overview of the most common Spanish prepositions with their English translations. You’ll notice that Spanish prepositions often have more than one meaning and serve multiple functions.  

Spanish prepositions by function

Now that you’re familiar with some common prepositions, these categories will help you understand when and how to use each one correctly. Since prepositions can have more than one meaning, it is helpful to learn them categorized by function.  

Origin and destination

You’ll use prepositions to describe the origin or destination of people or things. They’re part of essential Spanish phrases for traveling.

• Voy para Panamá. = I’m going to Panama.
• La mujer viaja desde Chile hasta Uruguay. = The woman is traveling from Chile to Uruguay.
• Por la noche, los relámpagos se pueden ver desde lejos. = At night, lightning bolts can be seen from far away.
  

Movement

Prepositions are also used to describe the direction something or someone is moving. 

• La semana pasada, caminé por el parque. = Last week, I walked through the park.
• Hoy es domingo. Están caminando por el parque. = Today is Sunday. They are walking through the park. 
  

• El gato está caminando hacia el río. = The cat is walking toward the river.
• Allí está. Viene caminando hacia aquí. = There she is. She’s walking toward us. 

This Spanish prepositions list will help you when you’re discussing travel and activities. 

Geographical location

Similar to movement, geographical location is expressed with prepositional phrases. ¡Pero, ojo! (slang for “but, watch out” in Spanish). In English, you’d probably say “north of” instead of “to the north of,” but you’ll need to use the complete phrase in Spanish.

If you’re visiting one (or all) of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries, knowing how to talk about where things are located will be very helpful. 

• El parque está al sur de los apartamentos. = The park is to the south of the apartments.
• Hay un supermercado al oeste de la biblioteca. = There’s a supermarket to the west of the library.
• Australia está al este de África. = Australia is to the east of Africa. 
  

• El Océano Ártico está al norte de todos los continentes. = The Arctic Ocean is to the north of all of the continents.
  

Time

Some prepositions connect a noun to more Spanish nouns or other words in a sentence and show their relationship in time. For example:

• No me esperes hasta las cinco. = Don’t expect me until 5:00.
• No voy a llegar antes del almuerzo. = I’m not going to arrive before lunch.
• Les ayudo con él después de almorzar. = I’ll help you with it after lunch. 

Note that the preposition de will contract with any noun beginning with the definite article el (the), forming del, which doesn’t always have an equivalent translation in English. More about how and when prepositions change form will be covered later in this guide. The table covers more prepositions used to describe time and duration.

Physical location

Often a preposition tells you where something or someone is physically in relation to someone or something else. For example:

• Juan está delante del carro. = Juan is in front of the car.
• Creo que nuestro carro está cerca de aquel restaurante. = I think our car is close to that restaurant. 
  

You might have noticed that the verb estar (to be) is often used with these prepositions, since they show the location of people or things. There’s one exception to ser vs. estar and location, though: When you’re discussing where an event takes place, you’ll use ser (to be).

• Los estudiantes están en el auditorio. = The students are in the auditorium.
• El concierto es en el auditorio. = The concert is in the auditorium.

The first sentence tells you where the students are located, and it uses estar. The second tells you where the concert takes place, so it uses ser. See the table for more prepositions of place in Spanish.

Relationships

One of the main purposes of a preposition is to show the relationship or connection between two or more people or things. The relationship can be concrete, such as:

• El hombre se encuentra con su novia para desayunar. = The man meets with his girlfriend for breakfast. 
  

Or it can be an abstract, intangible relationship such as:

• Según el artículo, el estudiante recibió una beca. = According to the article, the student received a scholarship.

The following list includes prepositions that show a relationship, whether concrete or abstract.

Why do some Spanish prepositions change form? 

Have you noticed that prepositions in Spanish can change their form depending on the context? For example, when de is placed next to el in a sentence, it turns into del. 

Contractions are optional in English, such as “you’re” instead of “you are.” You could use either form and still be grammatically correct and easily understood. However, Spanish grammar requires you to use del and al. Leaving the words separate would be incorrect.

Del and al are the only contractions that exist in Spanish grammar, and you’ll encounter them often when using Spanish prepositions.

Del

The contraction del is formed by combining the preposition de (of/from) with the article el (the). For example, if you want to combine: 

• encima de = on top of
• el sofá = the sofa
• El libro está encima del sofá. = The book is on top of the sofa.

Al

The contraction al is formed in a similar way. The preposition a (to/at) combines with the article el (the.) 

• voy a = I’m going to
• el parque = the park.
• Voy al parque. = I’m going to the park.

These two contractions save time and make speech flow more easily in Spanish. Give it a try—you’ll see that they’re much easier to pronounce.

• Es importante llegar al aeropuerto temprano.= It’s important to arrive at the airport early. 
  

• Le agrego azúcar al té.= I’m adding sugar to the tea. 
  

If you feel ready for some more advanced Spanish grammar with prepositions, go deeper into the differences between por vs. para, two important prepositions that can change the meaning of the sentence. Knowing how to use these will be sure to impress native speakers.

How do Spanish prepositions differ? 

There are a few important differences between Spanish and English prepositions that will be helpful to keep in mind. 

There are fewer prepositions in Spanish

Spanish grammar has fewer prepositions than English does. As a result, Spanish prepositions often have several potential translations, which depend solely on context.

Understanding these differences will not only help you understand basic Spanish phrases better, but also communicate more clearly. 

For example, the preposition a has several possible meanings in English, beyond simply “to” in Spanish. 

• to: Voy a la biblioteca. = I’m going to the library. 
  

• at: El avión llega a las dos y media de la mañana. = The plane arrives at 2:30 in the morning.
  

• on: ¿El vuelo sale a horario? = Is the flight leaving on time? 
  

• by: Prefiero escribir a mano para tomar apuntes. = I prefer to write by hand to take notes. 

Spanish prepositions are more literal

Prepositions in Spanish are more literal than in English. Consider that you’ll often say you’re “at” a place in English, but you should say you’re “in” that place in Spanish.

If there’s no movement involved, use en in Spanish. You’ll need to remember this when using Spanish words for places, like where you work, parts of a house, or places in the community. For example:

• Yo trabajo en un hospital. = I work at the hospital.
  

• Estoy en la cocina. = I’m in the kitchen.
  

• Compras pescado en el mercado. = You buy fish at the market.

Spanish sentences don’t end with a preposition

English speakers often end a sentence with a preposition, like “of,” “from,” or “to,” in casual speech, but Spanish speakers never do this, since prepositions are one of the stricter parts of speech. To ensure your sentence sounds correct in Spanish, you’ll need to switch your word order. 

• ¿A dónde vas?/¿Adónde vas? = Where are you going to? 
  

• ¿De dónde eres? = Where are you from? 

Note that ¿A dónde? and ¿Adónde? are considered equally valid ways to write this phrase, according to the Real Academia Española.

Prepositions are required more often in Spanish

Sometimes in English a preposition can be absent and the sentence still makes sense, but Spanish grammar doesn’t allow for this. 

• Voy a casa. = I’m going home. 
• Traemos libros de la biblioteca a casa. = We’re bringing books home from the library.
  

• Sale de la escuela a las tres y media. = He leaves school at 3:30. 

Key takeaways for prepositions in Spanish

Prepositions are seemingly simple words or phrases that matter greatly to the sentence. 

• They explain how a noun (or pronoun) and another word are related.
• They can tell origin, destination, movement, location, time, and relationship. 
• They are similar to English prepositions, but there are fewer of them and they’re used more often.
• The prepositions de and a contract with el to form del (from the) and al (to the). 

You’ve focused a lot of your attention on these common Spanish prepositions, so to really make them stick, it’s best to encounter them in meaningful sentences where they’ll grab your attention. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method makes it so much easier than trying to memorize the whole list of prepositions, allowing you to grasp all their potential meanings naturally.

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