11.9.1

By, With, From, Of

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By, With, From, To

Prepositions are words that come directly before another word to express the relationship between the words that come before or after it.

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En - in

  • 'En' is used to show location, time or how something is done.
    • E.g. Estoy en mi casa.
      • I am in my house.
    • E.g. Tengo una reunión en una hora.
      • I have a meeting in an hour.
    • E.g. Vamos en avión.
      • We are going by plane.
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Hacia - towards, about

  • 'Hacia' is used to show movement or opinion towards something and the rough time.
    • Corrí hacia mi casa.
      • I ran towards my house.
    • Nuestra responsabilidad hacia el medio ambiente.
      • Our responsibility towards the environment.
    • Hacia medianoche.
      • At about midnight.
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Hasta - until, as far as

  • 'Hasta' is used in a lot of idiomatic expressions, mostly to do with saying goodbye.
    • Hasta luego, hasta mañana
      • Until later (goodbye), until tomorrow.
  • It is also used to show a time limit.
    • La tienda está abierta hasta las tres.
      • The shop is open until 3.
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Según - according to

  • 'Según' means according to, it is normally followed by a noun.
    • E.g. Según el autor.
      • According to the author.
    • E.g. Según la encuesta.
      • According to the survey.
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Sin - without

  • 'Sin' means without, it can be followed by a noun or a verb.
    • E.g. Sin saberlo.
      • Without knowing it.
    • E.g. Sin perjuicio.
      • Without prejudice.
  • It is also used in certain phrases:
    • E.g. Sin embargo - however.
    • E.g. Sin duda - certainly (without a doubt).
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Cerca - Near

  • 'Cerca' means near, it can be followed by a noun or a verb.
    • E.g. Cerca de mi casa hay una tienda.
      • Near my house there is a shop.
    • Puedo caminar hasta la escuela porque está cerca.
      • I can walk to school because it is close.

'A' and 'De'

Here are the uses of the preposition 'a':

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'A'

  • When the action of the sentence is happening to a person, you need a personal 'a'.
    • Yo llamo a mi madre.
      • I call my mum.
    • No veo a nadie
      • I cannot see anyone.
    • Mi hermana quiere ayudar a mucha gente.
      • My sister wants to help a lot of people.
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'A'

  • 'A' is used when you want to talk about the idea of travelling.
  • When 'el' is used right after 'a' it becomes 'al'.
    • Voy a el cine → voy al cine.
      • I am going to the cinema.
    • Iremos a la playa.
      • We will go to the beach.
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Specific verbs

  • There are specific verbs that use 'a' after them.
    • Ayudar a (to help to).
    • Empezar a (to start to).
    • Ir a (to go to).
    • Llegar a (to arrive at).
    • Volver a (to return to).
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'De'

  • 'De' is used as a preposition to show who something belongs to.
    • Es la camisa de mi hermana.
      • It is the shirt of my sister.
  • 'De' is also used to show where something is from or started.
    • Soy de Colombia.
      • I am from Colombia.
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'De' after some verbs

  • There are specific verbs that use de.
    • Tratarse de (to be about).
    • Acabar de (to have just).
    • Tratar de (to try to).

Jump to other topics

1The Basics

2Home & Abroad

3Education & Employment

4Personal Life & Relationships

5The World Around Us

6Social Activities, Fitness & Health

7Listening

8Common Tenses

9Important Verbs

10Advanced Tenses

11Extra Grammar

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