{"id":144713,"date":"2023-11-16T22:23:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T03:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/spanish-prepositions\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T02:17:25","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T07:17:25","slug":"spanish-prepositions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/spanish-prepositions\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Prepositions and How to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Often, we’re taught that a preposition describes the place of a noun<\/a>.\u00a0Prepositions also describe the relationship between a noun\/pronoun and other words in a sentence.<\/p>\n

Even if you’re a master of English prepositions, Spanish prepositions are another ballgame\u2014the languages can be pretty different<\/a>, after all. Here, we’ll cover both simple and compound prepositions in Spanish, the most common ones, plus when and how to use them.<\/p>\n

In addition to this post, we have a quick lesson on Spanish prepositions on our YouTube channel<\/a>:<\/p>\n

<\/lite-youtube><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]
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What is a Preposition?<\/h2>\n
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A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other elements in a sentence. Prepositions often indicate location, direction, time or the relationship between different objects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Prepositions can be tricky because they don’t always have direct, simple translations between languages and can often be translated differently depending on how they’re used.<\/p>\n

For example, the Spanish preposition en <\/em><\/strong>can mean “in,” “on,” “at,” “into” or “by” depending on the context:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Vivo en<\/strong> Madrid.<\/em> (I live in<\/strong> Madrid).<\/p>\n

El libro est\u00e1 en<\/strong> la mesa.<\/em> (The book is on<\/strong> the table).<\/p>\n

Estoy en<\/strong> la oficina.<\/em> (I’m at<\/strong> the office).<\/p>\n

El gato se meti\u00f3 en<\/strong> la caja.<\/em> (The cat crawled into<\/strong> the box.)<\/p>\n

Llegamos en<\/strong> taxi.<\/em> (We arrived by<\/strong> taxi.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Simple Spanish Prepositions<\/h2>\n

Here are 23 of the most common Spanish prepositions. You’ll see that many of them have multiple meanings:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Preposition<\/th>Meaning(s)<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
a<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>to
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\nused to connect ir<\/i>\u00a0to an infinitive
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\nthe personal a<\/i><\/a><\/td>		 Voy a<\/b> la casa de mi amiga.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'm going to my friend's house.)
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\n Ellos van a<\/b> nadar.<\/i> <\/a>\n (They're going\u00a0to\u00a0swim.)
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\n Tengo que llamar a<\/b> mi mam\u00e1.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I have to call my mom.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ante<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>before, in the face of (used in formal speech) <\/td> El acusado fue presentado ante<\/b> un juez.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The defendant appeared before a judge.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
bajo<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>under, underneath
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\nunder the rule of a political figure<\/td>		 El perro est\u00e1 bajo<\/b> la mesa.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The dog is under the table.)
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\n Bajo<\/b> Kim Jong-un, Corea del Norte ha tenido muchos problemas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has had many problems.)
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cabe<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>close to, next to
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\n*Rarely used in modern Spanish but can still be found in literature<\/td>		 La casa estaba cabe<\/b> el bosque.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The house was next to the forest.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
con<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>with (accompaniment)
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\nwith (to emphasize importance of something)
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\n<\/td>		 Voy a la fiesta con<\/b> mis amigos.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'm going to the party with my friends.)
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\n Con<\/b> todo\u00a0lo\u00a0que ha pasado en mi vida, me mantengo optimista.<\/i> <\/a>\n (With everything that's happened in my life, I remain an optimist.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
contra<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>against (opposed to)
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\nagainst (physical location)<\/td>		 No tengo nada contra<\/b> \u00e9l.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I don't have anything against him.)
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\n La mesa est\u00e1 contra<\/b> la pared.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The table is against the wall.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>from (indicating origin)
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\nfrom (indicating cause)
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\nof (indicating composition)
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\nof (indicating ownership)
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\nabout<\/td>		 Mi abuela es de<\/b> Canad\u00e1.<\/i> <\/a>\n (My grandmother is from Canada.)
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\n Ella estaba gritando de<\/b> tristeza.<\/i> <\/a>\n (She was screaming from\u00a0sadness.)
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\n El plato\u00a0est\u00e1 hecho de<\/b> pl\u00e1stico.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The plate is made of plastic.)
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\n Este libro es de<\/b> mi hermana.<\/i> <\/a>\n (This book is my sister's.)
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\n \u00c9l puede hablar de<\/b> muchos temas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (He can talk about many topics.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
desde<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>since
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\nfrom<\/td>		 No la he visto\u00a0desde<\/b> ayer.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I haven't seen her since yesterday.)
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\n Llamar\u00e9 a mi madre desde<\/b> tu casa.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'll call my mother from your house.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
durante<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>during<\/td> Recuerde, no hable durante<\/b> la pel\u00edcula.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Remember, no talking during the movie.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>in (physical location)
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\nin (indicating manner)
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\ninto
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\nby (indicating means)
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\nat (physical location)<\/td>		 Las cerezas est\u00e1n en<\/b> la nevera.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The cherries are in the fridge.)
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\n Mi padre habla en<\/b> voz alta.<\/i> <\/a>\n (My dad speaks in a loud voice.)
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\n Puso la carta en<\/b> el buz\u00f3n.<\/i> <\/a>\n (He put the letter into the mailbox.)
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\n Voy a la biblioteca en<\/b> coche.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I go to the library by car.)
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\n Estoy en<\/b> el trabajo.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'm at work.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
entre<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>between
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\namong<\/td>		 La puerta est\u00e1 entre<\/b> las ventanas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The door is between the windows.)
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\n Encontr\u00e9 a mi hermana entre<\/b> la multitud.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I found my sister among the crowd.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
hacia<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>towards
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\nabout, around (approximate time)<\/td>		 Ellos corrieron hacia<\/b> la salida del edificio.<\/i> <\/a>\n (They ran towards the building's exit.)
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\n Voy a llegar hacia<\/b> las dos de\u00a0la tarde.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'm going to arrive around two in the afternoon.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
hasta<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>until
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\nup to
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\ndown to<\/td>		 Ellos se van a quedar con nosotros hasta<\/b> ma\u00f1ana.<\/i> <\/a>\n (They're going to stay with us until tomorrow.)
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\n Este ascensor tiene\u00a0capacidad para hasta<\/b> 10 personas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (This elevator has capacity for up to 10 people.)
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\n La temperatura baj\u00f3 hasta<\/b>\u00a0los 10 grados.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The temperature went down to 10 degrees.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
mediante<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>through, by means of<\/td> Realizaremos la reuni\u00f3n mediante<\/b> una videollamada.<\/i> <\/a>\n (We'll hold the meeting through a video call.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
para<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>for
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\nto, in order to<\/td>		 Le compr\u00e9 un regalo muy bonito para<\/b> Navidad.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I bought him a very nice gift for Christmas.)
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\n Para<\/b> llegar a mi casa hay que subir una gran colina.<\/i> <\/a>\n (In order to get to my house, you have to go up a big hill.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
por<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>for
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\nby
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\nbecause of
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\nthrough
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\nper
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\nin (time period)<\/td>		 Muchas gracias por<\/b> toda tu ayuda.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Thank you<\/a> so much for all your help.)
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\n Para ir al gimnasio, tienes que pasar por<\/b> la farmacia.<\/i> <\/a>\n (To go to the gym, you have to pass by the pharmacy.)
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\n No fui a trabajar\u00a0por<\/b>\u00a0la gripe.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I didn't go to work because of the flu.)
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\n Ellos pasaron por<\/b> el pasillo.<\/i> <\/a>\n (They passed through the hallway.)
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\n Son\u00a0quince d\u00f3lares por<\/b> libra.<\/i> <\/a>\n (They're 15 dollars per pound.)
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\n Estudio por<\/b> la ma\u00f1ana.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I study in the morning.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
seg\u00fan<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>depending on
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\naccording to<\/td>		 Seg\u00fan<\/b> el tiempo, podemos ir a la playa.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Depending on the weather, we can go to the beach.)
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\n Seg\u00fan<\/b> su madre, la tienda cierra a las siete.<\/i> <\/a>\n (According to her mother, the store closes at 7:00.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sin<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>without<\/td> Ahora, Elena puede hacer su tarea sin<\/b> la ayuda de sus padres.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Now, Elena can do her homework without her parents' help.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
so<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>under
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\n*You'll likely only see\u00a0so<\/i> in literary contexts, or in expressions like\u00a0so pretexto de<\/i> (under the pretext\/guise of) and so pena de<\/i> (under the threat of).<\/td>		 So<\/b> pretexto de trabajar hasta tarde, plane\u00f3 una fiesta sorpresa para su novio.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Under the pretext of working late, she planned a surprise party for her boyfriend.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sobre<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>on
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\nabout
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\nover<\/td>		 Por favor, no pongas tu ropa sucia sobre<\/b> la mesa.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Please don't put your dirty clothes on the table.)
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\n Busco un libro sobre<\/b>\u00a0animales salvajes.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I'm looking for a book about wild animals.)
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\n El avi\u00f3n vol\u00f3 sobre<\/b> el oc\u00e9ano.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The plane flew over the ocean.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
tras<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>after<\/td> Mes tras<\/b> mes, ella\u00a0se siente cada vez m\u00e1s tranquila.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Month after month, she feels increasingly calmer.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
versus<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>versus, against<\/td> Este juego es el equipo de mi hermana versus<\/b> el equipo de mi mejor amiga... \u00a1No s\u00e9 a qui\u00e9n apoyar!<\/i> <\/a>\n (This game is my sister's team versus my best friend's team... I don't know who to root for!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
v\u00eda<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>through, by way of
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\nby, via<\/td>		 Viaj\u00e9 a Costa Rica v\u00eda<\/b> los Estados Unidos.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I traveled to Costa Rica by way of the United States.)
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\n La jefa le enviar\u00e1 el horario v\u00eda<\/b> correo electr\u00f3nico.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The boss will send you the schedule by email.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Compound Spanish Prepositions<\/h2>\n

Compound prepositions are groups of more than one word that, together, have the function of a preposition. In Spanish, they’re called locuciones preposicionales <\/em>(prepositional phrases).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Preposition<\/th>Meaning(s)<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
a pesar de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>despite<\/td> Mi hermano quiere hacer paracaidismo a pesar de<\/b> su miedo a las alturas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (My brother wants to go skydiving despite his fear of heights.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
a trav\u00e9s de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>through<\/td> Nos comunicamos a trav\u00e9s de<\/b> mensajes de texto mientras \u00e9l estaba de viaje.<\/i> <\/a>\n (We communicated through text messages while he was on a trip.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
al lado de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>beside, next to<\/td> Me gusta mucho el restaurante que est\u00e1 al lado de<\/b> la playa.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I really like the restaurant that's next to the beach.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
adem\u00e1s de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>besides, in addition to<\/td> Adem\u00e1s de<\/b> tocar el piano, \u00bfqu\u00e9 te gusta hacer?<\/i> <\/a>\n (Besides playing piano, what do you like to do?)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
alrededor de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>around (physical location)
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\naround (giving an approximation)<\/td>		 Hay flores alrededor de<\/b> la iglesia.<\/i> <\/a>\n (There are flowers around the church.)
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\n En la escuela, hay alrededor de<\/b> 1500 estudiantes.<\/i> <\/a>\n (In the school, there are around 1500 students.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
cerca de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>close to, near<\/td> El hotel est\u00e1 cerca de<\/b> muchos restaurantes y tiendas.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The hotel is close to many restaurants and shops.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
debajo de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>under, underneath<\/td> El gato estaba sentando debajo de<\/b> la silla.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The cat was sitting underneath the chair.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
delante de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>in front of<\/td> Solo mantente por delante de<\/b> los otros corredores y estar\u00e1s bien.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Just stay in front of the other runners and you'll be fine.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
dentro de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>within
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\ninside<\/td>		 Hay muchos autobuses dentro de<\/b> los l\u00edmites de la ciudad.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The company will get back to us within a week.)
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\n La compa\u00f1\u00eda se pondr\u00e1 en contacto con nosotros dentro de<\/b> una semana.<\/i> <\/a>\n (There are many buses inside the city limits.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
detr\u00e1s de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>behind<\/td> Ella camin\u00f3 detr\u00e1s de<\/b> su t\u00eda.<\/i> <\/a>\n (She walked behind her aunt.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en cuanto a<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td> as for, regarding<\/td> En cuanto a<\/b> tus preguntas, las responder\u00e9 al final de la presentaci\u00f3n.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Regarding your questions, I'll answer them at the end of the presentation.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
en lugar de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n \/ en vez de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>instead of<\/td> \u00bfPodr\u00edas hacerlo con miel en lugar de<\/b> az\u00facar?<\/i> <\/a>\n (Could you make it with honey instead of sugar?)
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\n Prefiero t\u00e9 en vez de<\/b> caf\u00e9 por la tarde.<\/i> <\/a>\n (I prefer tea instead of coffee in the afternoon.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
encima de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>on top of<\/td> Tu sombrero est\u00e1 encima de<\/b> la cama.<\/i> <\/a>\n (Your hat is on top of the bed.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
frente a<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>in front of<\/td> Hay un McDonald's frente a<\/b> mi escuela.<\/i> <\/a>\n (There is a McDonald's in front of my school.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
fuera de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>outside of<\/td> El perro esper\u00f3 fuera del<\/b> hospital.<\/i> <\/a>\n (The dog waited outside of the hospital.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
junto a<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>next to, by
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\nalongside<\/td>		 \u00bfEst\u00e1 su casa junto a<\/b> la parada de autob\u00fas?<\/i> <\/a>\n (Is their house next to the bus stop?)
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\n Durante la formaci\u00f3n, trabajar\u00e1 junto a<\/b> profesionales cualificados.<\/i> <\/a>\n (During the training, you will work alongside qualified professionals.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
lejos de<\/b><\/i> <\/a>\n <\/td>far from<\/td> El supermercado est\u00e1 lejos de<\/b> mi casa<\/i> <\/a>\n (The supermarket is far from my house.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

When and How to Use Spanish Prepositions<\/h2>\n
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As we’ve seen, prepositions are versatile and can have multiple meanings, so you must consider the context of the sentence. Learning prepositions in context through practice and exposure to authentic language use is crucial for mastery.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of when and how to use Spanish prepositions for different purposes:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Location and Direction<\/strong><\/h3>\n