All Spanish Prepositions Explained with Examples

If you’ve learned basic Spanish sentences but feel confused when you see words like a, de, en, con, por, para, you’re exactly where most learners get stuck — and you’re in the right place.

Spanish prepositions are small words, but they’re powerful. They show direction, location, time, connection, and purpose. Once you understand the core meanings, you can use them confidently in everyday sentences.

Let’s make prepositions easy.

1. “Core Four” Prepositions Every Beginner Must Know

Before you learn the long list of Spanish prepositions, start with the four you’ll use every day.
Think of these as the “anchor points” of Spanish — small words that unlock hundreds of real sentences.

If you understand a, de, en, con, you can already describe movement, place, relationships, and daily routines. Most learners memorize prepositions one by one… but when you know these four, you can start forming natural, confident sentences immediately.

a — to / at

Movement, direction, or the person receiving something.

• Voy a Madrid. — I’m going to Madrid.
• Llamo a Ana. — I call Ana.
• Vamos a comer. — We’re going to eat.

de — of / from / about

Possession, origin, and descriptions.

• Es el libro de Juan. — It’s Juan’s book.
• Soy de Argentina. — I’m from Argentina.
• Hablan de la película. — They talk about the movie.

en — in / on / at

Location, time, and the idea of being inside something.

• Vivo en España. — I live in Spain.
• El café está en la mesa. — The coffee is on the table.
• Trabajo en la mañana. — I work in the morning.

con — with

Companionship or use of a tool.

• Voy con mi familia. — I’m going with my family.
• Corto la pizza con un cuchillo. — I cut the pizza with a knife.

• If you only studied these four, you could build 70% of the prepositional phrases in everyday Spanish.

2. Prepositions of Place (Location Words)

These tell where something happens.

Spanish makes describing location wonderfully clear — you just plug a preposition into your sentence and instantly know where something is.

These prepositions are some of the first phrases learners use (and the ones kids learn first at school). Once you know these, you can describe scenes, give directions, talk about your home, your routine, and where things are — all without complicated grammar.

sobre — on / about

El libro está sobre la mesa. — The book is on the table.

bajo / debajo de — under

El gato está debajo de la silla. — The cat is under the chair.

entre — between

Estoy entre amigos. — I’m among friends.

hacia — toward

Caminamos hacia la playa. — We walk toward the beach.

tras / detrás de — behind

El coche está detrás de la casa. — The car is behind the house.

junto a — next to

Estoy junto a la ventana. — I’m next to the window.

3. Prepositions of Time

These tell when something happens.

Time prepositions help you place events on a timeline: before, after, during, since. These tiny words let you talk about your schedule, routines, and plans without needing advanced grammar.

You’ll hear them constantly in everyday conversation — especially when someone explains what they’re doing today, tomorrow, or later.

antes de — before

Antes de cenar, hablamos. — Before dinner, we talk.

después de — after

Después de clase, estudio. — After class, I study.

durante — during

Duermo durante la tarde. — I sleep during the afternoon.

desde — since / from

Vivo aquí desde 2010. — I’ve lived here since 2010.

4. Prepositions of Cause, Purpose & Reason

These explain why something happens.

Whether you’re explaining your motivation (“I study Spanish to travel”) or giving a reason for something (“I was late because of traffic”), these words help you express meaning — not just facts.

para — for / in order to / destined for

Estudio español para viajar. — I study Spanish to travel.

por — because of / through / by

Llegué tarde por el tráfico. — I arrived late because of the traffic.

a causa de — due to

Cancelaron la fiesta a causa de la lluvia. — They canceled the party due to the rain.

5. Prepositions of Connection

These link ideas, people, or things.

Connection prepositions help you link ideas together smoothly, the way native speakers naturally do. Words like sin, según, contra, sobre show relationships between ideas — supporting, contrasting, or explaining them.

These are powerful tools for building more fluid, complex sentences without sounding complicated.

sin — without

No puedo vivir sin café. — I can’t live without coffee.

según — according to

Según Ana, es fácil. — According to Ana, it’s easy.

contra — against

Estoy contra la idea. — I’m against the idea.

sobre — about (as a topic)

Hablamos sobre tus planes. — We talked about your plans.

6. Prepositions with Verbs (Common Patterns)

Here’s where many learners get stuck: some Spanish verbs automatically pair with specific prepositions.

Think of these as “verb-preposition teams.” You don’t have to memorize long rules — you just learn the pair together, and suddenly sentences feel more natural.

These patterns exist in English too (“dream of,” “think about”), so your brain already knows how this works.

• aprender a — to learn to
  Aprendo a conducir.
• consistir en — to consist of
  El curso consiste en tres partes.
• pensar en — to think about
  Pienso en ti.
• soñar con — to dream about
  Sueño con viajar.

This is why preposition lists never make sense without context — Spanish uses set patterns.

7. Prepositions + Infinitives (Important Rule)

When a preposition is followed by a verb, that verb stays in the infinitive.

This never changes, which makes your life easier. No conjugation needed — just use the base form. Learners often overthink this, but once you know the pattern, it becomes automatic.

Examples:

• Antes de salir
• Para aprender
• Sin dormir
• Después de comer

Never conjugate the verb after a preposition.

8. Quick Reference Chart (All Common Prepositions)

Need everything in one place?

Here is your compact reference list of the most common Spanish prepositions. Use this table when you’re writing, studying, or reviewing your notes — it’s your quick reminder of what each preposition means and how they fit into real sentences.

Prepositions Don’t Have to Be Hard

Once you understand the basic meanings and patterns, Spanish prepositions become predictable and incredibly useful.

You now know:

• the 4 core prepositions
• location prepositions
• time prepositions
• purpose and cause prepositions
• verb + preposition patterns
• the rule for infinitives

If you want to turn this clarity into real confidence when building sentences, the next step will help:

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