Prepositions Flashcards
English
Spanish
at
for times
at 8 o’clock
a
a las 8 horas
to
in from … to …
from Tuesday to Thursday
de lunes a jueves
to
direction (building, city, country) - where to?
To the library
to Madrid
to Brazil
a
a la biblioteca
a Madrid
a Brasil
by, on, with
means, instrument/tool
made by hand
written by machine (typed?)
a
hecho a mano, escribir a máquina
by
to travel by foot, on horseback
a
ir a pie, a caballo
to, used with indirect object
indirect recipient of an action (when it could be replaced with to + object)
I gave the book to my sister.
a
Le di el libro a mi hermana.
“the invisible word you only use when a person is the direct object”
What word does spanish use to say “He saw Clara.” that we don’t even have in the English phrase?
used with a direct object: people
direct recipient of an action, but only when it’s a person
He saw Clara.
a
He visto a Clara.
to
to a person’s house
a casa de
ir a casa de mis padres
be in favor of
be in favor of somebody/something
a favor de
Estoy a favor de elegir un nuevo delegado de clase.
with
with the wind/current
a favor de
El barco está a favor del viento
right of …
on a side (right)
a la derecha de
a la derecha del coche
left of …
on a side (left)
a la izquierda de
a la izquierda del coche
despite
despite something
despite the bad weather
a pesar de
a pesar del mal tiempo
through/across
to get to the other side
through the room or across Spain
a través de
a través de la puerta
a través de España
next to
next to something
example John is next to the car.
al lado de
Juan está al lado del coche.
near (as in “next to”)
geographically close to something (next to or adjacent)
I live next to the station.
al lado de
Vivo al lado de la estación.
How do I know when to use “lado” and when to use “cerca” ? If you break it down. Lado means “side.” So “al lado del” is literally “to the side of the” and cerca meaning “close” or “near” gives you “close/near to” with “cerca de.” So “al lado del” would be adjacent to something while “cerca de” mearly in the vicinity.
around
around something
example: around the house
alrededor de
alrededor de la casa
before
before a certain time
example: before 8 o’clock
antes de
antes de las 8 horas
antes del curso
near (as in “close to”)
geographically close to something (close, without implying adjacent or next to)
I live near the station.
cerca de
Vivo cerca de la estación.
How do I know when to use “lado” and when to use “cerca” ? If you break it down. Lado means “side.” So “al lado del” is literally “to the side of the” and cerca meaning “close” or “near” gives you “close/near to” with “cerca de.” So “al lado del” would be adjacent to something while “cerca de” mearly in the vicinity.
with
with someone
example: with John
con
con su perro, con Juan
with
in a certain way
example: with happiness or with joy
con
con alegría
against (place)
against something
example: against the wall
contra
contra la pared
against (other uses)
Contra can express being opposed to something or to be physically against something.
My position is against bullfighting, not against the people.
My body is against the wall.
contra
Mi postura es contra las corridas de toros, no contra las personas.
Mi cuerpo está contra la pared.
Synonyms: en contra de, en oposición
from
in from … to …
example: from 8 am to 9 am (referring to time)
example: from Monday to Thursday
de
de 8 a 9
de lunes a jueves
from
from a place (where from?)
(referring to place)
de
Vengo de Andalucía.
of
corresponds to the genitive: possession/belonging
example: a page of the book
de
una página del libro
by
the creator, author, etc.
Example: a book by Gabriel
de
un libro de Gabriel García Márquez
from
the giver is mentioned
example: a gift from Julia
de
un regalo de Julia
made of
material
example: a cotton jersey
de
un jersey de algodón
