Basic Prepositions: en, de, a, con, para, por

Prepositions usually sit before a noun. They can also sit before a pronoun. Sometimes they sit before a verb. In Spanish, the verb must be an infinitive. This is a very important rule. You never change the preposition's form. They are "invariable" words. This means they stay the same. They don't care about gender. They don't care about number. En is always en. Con is always con. This makes your life easier. You just need to learn the meaning. Then you need to learn the context. It is like a matching game. Match the preposition to the situation. It is like a grammar traffic light. It tells you where to go. Even native speakers mess this up sometimes. So, take your time.

1. 1Start with your main action or noun.
2. 2Choose the preposition that fits your meaning.
3. 3Place the preposition right after the first part.
4. 4Add the object of the preposition next.
5. 5Check if a or de meets the word el.
6. 6Combine them into al or del if they do.
7. 7Keep the rest of the sentence moving forward.
8. 8Remember, prepositions never change for gender or number.

Let's look at en first. Use en for location. It means "in" or "on." Estoy en la casa means "I am in the house." El libro está en la mesa means "The book is on the table." It is very versatile. You also use en for transport. Voy en tren means "I go by train." Imagine you are at a job interview. You might say Trabajé en una oficina. This tells them where you were.

Next is de. This word shows where you are from. Soy de Chile means "I am from Chile." It also shows who owns something. El carro de Juan means "Juan's car." We don't use apostrophes in Spanish. De does all that work for us. It also describes what things are made of. Una mesa de madera is a wooden table. If you are ordering food, you might ask for un vaso de agua.

Now let's talk about a. This is for movement. Voy a la escuela means "I go to school." It also marks time. La clase es a las nueve means "The class is at nine." Don't forget the "personal a." Use it when the object is a person. Veo a mi amigo is the correct way. If you are asking for directions, you might hear ve a la derecha.

Con is for company. It means "with." Estudio con María means "I study with Maria." It also works for tools. Escribo con un bolígrafo means "I write with a pen." It is a very friendly preposition. In a restaurant, you will say un café con leche, por favor.

Para is all about the destination. This can be a place or a goal. Estudio para aprender means "I study to learn." It also marks a deadline. Es para mañana means "It is for tomorrow." Think of it as an arrow pointing forward. You might say este regalo es para ti at a birthday party.

Por is about the reason or cause. Gracias por el café means "Thanks for the coffee." You are giving thanks because of the coffee. It also shows duration. Hablo por una hora means "I talk for an hour." It also means "through." Camino por el parque means "I walk through the park." If you are in a shop, you might say pago diez euros por la camisa.

Don't use para with the verb buscar. In English, we say "look for." In Spanish, buscar already includes the "for." Saying buscar para is a common mistake. Just say busco mis llaves. It's cleaner and correct. Also, avoid using en for days. In English, we say "on Monday." In Spanish, we say el lunes. Using en here sounds very strange. It's like saying you are inside the day. Unless you are a tiny time traveler, skip it! Another tip: don't use a with the verb tener. Tengo un hermano does not need an a. Even though a brother is a person. Tener is a special exception to the "personal a" rule. It's one of those quirks you just have to memorize. Finally, don't use de when you mean "about" in some cases. Use sobre or acerca de for topics. Hablo de mi perro is fine, but un libro sobre historia is better than un libro de historia if you mean the subject matter.

The biggest mistake is the al and del contraction. People often say a el or de el. You must combine them every time. It is not optional like in English. Another mistake is mixing para and por. Remember that para is the "why" (goal). Por is the "why" (reason). If you say Gracias para el regalo, it sounds odd. It should be Gracias por el regalo. Also, watch out for en vs a. If you are moving, use a. If you are staying, use en. Voy en la tienda sounds like you are walking inside a tiny box. Use Voy a la tienda instead. Don't feel bad if you forget. Even advanced students trip over these. It is part of the journey.

Let's compare a and en. A is like a vector. It has direction. En is like a dot. It is a fixed point. If you use a GPS, a is the blue line. En is the red pin. This is a common trip-up for beginners. Now compare de and desde. De is simple origin. Desde emphasizes the starting point. Soy de Madrid is where you are from. Camino desde Madrid is where your journey started. It's about the focus of the sentence. Finally, look at con and sin. They are opposites. Con is plus. Sin is minus. Always check your order at a restaurant. Do you want it con or sin cebolla? This can save your dinner! Also, para vs por. Para is the destination of the action. Por is the motivation behind the action. Think of para as the "where to" and por as the "why."