Use cases of "a"	Spanish	English
Indicating movement towards a specific place or person	Voy a la tienda.	I'm going to the store.
Indicating a point in time	Nos vemos a las tres.	See you at three.
Expressing the means or manner of doing something	Viajamos a pie.	We traveled on foot.

Forming the contraction "al"	Spanish	English
a + el al	Vamos al cine esta noche.	We are going to the cinema tonight.

Use cases of "de"	Spanish	English
Expressing origin	Ella es de Francia.	She is from France.
Showing what something contains inside	Una taza de café.	A cup of coffee.
Indicating possession	El coche de mi hermano.	My brother's car.

Forming the contraction "del"	Spanish	English
de + el del	El sabor del* chocolate es delicioso.*	The taste of chocolate is delicious.

Use cases	Spanish	English
Express the means or manner of doing something	Ella habla en voz baja.	She speaks in a low voice.
Indicate the position of something	Hay una mancha en la pared.	There is a stain on the wall.
Indicate location	Estoy en casa.	I am at home.
Express time	En 2006 hice un viaje increíble.	In 2006 I took an incredible trip.
Expressing duration	Llego en dos horas.	I arrive in two hours.

Use cases	Spanish	English
Indicate movement through a place	Ayer pasé por* tu casa.*	Yesterday I passed by your house.
To show movement	El autobús pasó por delante de* mí.*	The bus passed in front of me.
To show movement	El avión voló por debajo de* las nubes.*	The airplane flew below the clouds.
Indicate an exchange of something	Lo compré por* diez euros.*	I bought it for ten euros.
Express time	Viví en Madrid por* cinco años.*	I lived in Madrid for five years.
It can be used to express the reason or motive	Lo hago por* ti.*	I do it for you.
To talk about how something is done	Me enteré por* la radio.*	I found out on the radio.

Use cases	Spanish	English
To talk about a destination, purpose or a person	Compré flores para* mi madre.*	I bought flowers for my mother.
To express time, deadlines or goals	La tarea es para* mañana.*	The task is for tomorrow.
Meaning "to" when combined with infinitive form of the verb	Me levanto temprano para hacer* ejercicio.*	I wake up early to workout.

Spanish	English
Voy al cine con* mis amigos.*	I'm going to the movies with my friends.
Preparé la cena con* mucho cuidado.*	I prepared dinner with great care.
Estoy estudiando español con* un profesor particular.*	I am studying Spanish with a private teacher.

Spanish	English
He vivido en esta ciudad desde* 2010.*	I have lived in this city since 2010.
Desde que era niño, siempre me ha gustado la música.	Since I was a child, I have always liked music.
Trabajo en esta empresa desde* el año pasado.*	I have been working at this company since last year.

Spanish	English
El tren se dirige hacia* la estación central.*	The train is heading towards the central station.
El avión volará hacia* el sur.*	The plane will fly towards the south.
El perro corre hacia* su dueño.*	The dog runs towards its owner.

Spanish	English
El pájaro volaba sobre* las nubes.*	The bird was flying over the clouds.
Tenemos que hablar sobre* el proyecto.*	We need to talk about the project.
Hay un libro sobre* la mesa.*	There is a book on the table.

Spanish	English
No comeré nada hasta* que vuelva del trabajo.*	I won't eat anything until I come back from work.
Esperé hasta* tarde.*	I waited until late.
El gato saltó hasta* el tejado.*	The cat jumped up to the roof.

What are prepositions?

Key takeaways