20.5.1
Common Prepositions
Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
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.

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.
- E.g. Estoy en mi casa.

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.
- Corrí hacia mi casa.

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.
- Hasta luego, hasta mañana
- It is also used to show a time limit.
- La tienda está abierta hasta las tres.
- The shop is open until 3.
- La tienda está abierta hasta las tres.

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.
- E.g. Según el autor.

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.
- E.g. Sin saberlo.
- It is also used in certain phrases:
- E.g. Sin embargo - however.
- E.g. Sin duda - certainly (without a doubt).

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.
- E.g. Cerca de mi casa hay una tienda.
1Phonics/Alphabet/Spellings
1.1Phonics / Alphabet / Spellings
2My Family & I
2.1My Family & I
2.1.1Name & Age2.1.2Colours2.1.3Hair & Eyes2.1.4Adjective Endings Match the Gender of the Noun2.1.5Physical Appearance2.1.6Personality2.1.7Family Members2.1.8Eldest, Youngest2.1.9Other Family Members2.1.10Family Life - Listening2.1.11Describing Others2.1.12Nationalities2.1.13Being Polite2.1.14Introductions2.1.15Pets2.1.16At The Post Office2.1.17Letters2.1.18Opinion Phrases2.1.19End of Topic Test - My Family & I
3Time
4Home
5Body & Illness
6Relationships
6.1Relationships
6.2Relationships - Vocabulary
7Customs & Festivals
7.1Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
7.2Customs & Festivals - Vocabulary
8School
8.1School
9Jobs
10Town & Shopping
10.1Town
11Food & Health Life
11.1Food
11.2A Healthy Life
12Free Time
12.1Free Time
13Social Media
13.1Social Media
13.1.1Social Media13.1.2Social Media 213.1.3Social Media Vocab - Spanish to English13.1.4Social Media Vocab - English to Spanish13.1.5Social Media Vocab - Translations13.1.6Positives of Social Media13.1.7Negatives of Social Media13.1.8'No'13.1.9Mobile Technology13.1.10Your Devices13.1.11Mobile Tech Vocab- Spanish to English13.1.12Mobile Tech Vocab- English to Spanish13.1.13Mobile Tech Vocab- Translations13.1.14Social Media - Listening
13.2Social Media - Vocabulary
14Holiday
14.1Holiday
15The World Around Us
16Present Tense
16.1Present Tense
16.1.1Regular AR Verbs16.1.2Irregular AR Verbs16.1.3Irregular AR Verbs - O-> UE16.1.4Irregular AR Verbs - Exceptions16.1.5Regular ER Verbs16.1.6Common ER Verbs16.1.7Irregular ER Verbs -E -> IE16.1.8Irregular ER Verbs O - UE16.1.9First Person Stem Changing ER Verbs16.1.10Regular IR Verbs16.1.115 Common Regular IR Verbs16.1.12Irregular IR Verbs16.1.13Irregular IR Verbs 216.1.14Irregular IR Verbs 316.1.15Irregular IR Verbs 416.1.16Verbs That End in UIR16.1.17Adding an Accent16.1.18To Go16.1.19To Like16.1.20To Have16.1.21To Be16.1.22Uses of To Be16.1.23Uses of To Be 2
17Past Tense
17.1Preterite Tense
17.1.1Regular AR Verbs17.1.2Irregular AR Verbs17.1.3Irregular AR Verbs 217.1.4Regular ER Verbs17.1.5Irregular ER Verbs - Ser17.1.6Irregular ER Verbs - Ver & Tener17.1.7Irregular ER Verbs - Vowel Changes17.1.8Irregular ER Verbs - Adding to the Stem17.1.9Regular IR Verbs17.1.10Irregular IR Verbs - Preterite17.1.11Irregular IR Verbs 217.1.12Decir & Venir - Preterite17.1.13Ir - Preterite
17.2Imperfect Tense
17.3Imperfect v Perfect
17.4Infinitive Phrases
18Future Tense
19Conditional
20Grammar
20.1Articles
20.2Adjectives
20.2.1Gender & Position20.2.2The Position of Adjectives20.2.3Adjectives that Change Endings20.2.4Adjectives that Remain the Same20.2.5Adjectives 220.2.6'Ser'20.2.7'Estar'20.2.8Grande & Bueno20.2.9Plurals Ending in a Consonant20.2.10Plurals Ending in a Vowel20.2.11Possession20.2.12Indefinite20.2.13Complex Comparisons
20.3Nouns
20.3.1Common Noun Endings20.3.2Other Noun Endings20.3.3People & Animals20.3.4Nouns that Stay the Same20.3.5Nouns Used for Masculine or Feminine20.3.6Masculine & Feminine Nouns20.3.7Masculine Exceptions20.3.8Feminine Exceptions20.3.9Noun Endings that Are Usually Feminine20.3.10Noun Endings that Are Usually Masculine20.3.11Masculine Nouns20.3.12Masculine & Feminine Nouns20.3.13Plural Nouns that End in a Vowel20.3.14Plural Nouns that End in a Consonant
20.6Pronouns
20.7Negatives
20.8Questions
20.10Adverbs
Jump to other topics
1Phonics/Alphabet/Spellings
1.1Phonics / Alphabet / Spellings
2My Family & I
2.1My Family & I
2.1.1Name & Age2.1.2Colours2.1.3Hair & Eyes2.1.4Adjective Endings Match the Gender of the Noun2.1.5Physical Appearance2.1.6Personality2.1.7Family Members2.1.8Eldest, Youngest2.1.9Other Family Members2.1.10Family Life - Listening2.1.11Describing Others2.1.12Nationalities2.1.13Being Polite2.1.14Introductions2.1.15Pets2.1.16At The Post Office2.1.17Letters2.1.18Opinion Phrases2.1.19End of Topic Test - My Family & I
3Time
4Home
5Body & Illness
6Relationships
6.1Relationships
6.2Relationships - Vocabulary
7Customs & Festivals
7.1Customs & Festivals in Spanish Speaking Countries
7.2Customs & Festivals - Vocabulary
8School
8.1School
9Jobs
10Town & Shopping
10.1Town
11Food & Health Life
11.1Food
11.2A Healthy Life
12Free Time
12.1Free Time
13Social Media
13.1Social Media
13.1.1Social Media13.1.2Social Media 213.1.3Social Media Vocab - Spanish to English13.1.4Social Media Vocab - English to Spanish13.1.5Social Media Vocab - Translations13.1.6Positives of Social Media13.1.7Negatives of Social Media13.1.8'No'13.1.9Mobile Technology13.1.10Your Devices13.1.11Mobile Tech Vocab- Spanish to English13.1.12Mobile Tech Vocab- English to Spanish13.1.13Mobile Tech Vocab- Translations13.1.14Social Media - Listening
13.2Social Media - Vocabulary
14Holiday
14.1Holiday
15The World Around Us
16Present Tense
16.1Present Tense
16.1.1Regular AR Verbs16.1.2Irregular AR Verbs16.1.3Irregular AR Verbs - O-> UE16.1.4Irregular AR Verbs - Exceptions16.1.5Regular ER Verbs16.1.6Common ER Verbs16.1.7Irregular ER Verbs -E -> IE16.1.8Irregular ER Verbs O - UE16.1.9First Person Stem Changing ER Verbs16.1.10Regular IR Verbs16.1.115 Common Regular IR Verbs16.1.12Irregular IR Verbs16.1.13Irregular IR Verbs 216.1.14Irregular IR Verbs 316.1.15Irregular IR Verbs 416.1.16Verbs That End in UIR16.1.17Adding an Accent16.1.18To Go16.1.19To Like16.1.20To Have16.1.21To Be16.1.22Uses of To Be16.1.23Uses of To Be 2
17Past Tense
17.1Preterite Tense
17.1.1Regular AR Verbs17.1.2Irregular AR Verbs17.1.3Irregular AR Verbs 217.1.4Regular ER Verbs17.1.5Irregular ER Verbs - Ser17.1.6Irregular ER Verbs - Ver & Tener17.1.7Irregular ER Verbs - Vowel Changes17.1.8Irregular ER Verbs - Adding to the Stem17.1.9Regular IR Verbs17.1.10Irregular IR Verbs - Preterite17.1.11Irregular IR Verbs 217.1.12Decir & Venir - Preterite17.1.13Ir - Preterite
17.2Imperfect Tense
17.3Imperfect v Perfect
17.4Infinitive Phrases
18Future Tense
19Conditional
20Grammar
20.1Articles
20.2Adjectives
20.2.1Gender & Position20.2.2The Position of Adjectives20.2.3Adjectives that Change Endings20.2.4Adjectives that Remain the Same20.2.5Adjectives 220.2.6'Ser'20.2.7'Estar'20.2.8Grande & Bueno20.2.9Plurals Ending in a Consonant20.2.10Plurals Ending in a Vowel20.2.11Possession20.2.12Indefinite20.2.13Complex Comparisons
20.3Nouns
20.3.1Common Noun Endings20.3.2Other Noun Endings20.3.3People & Animals20.3.4Nouns that Stay the Same20.3.5Nouns Used for Masculine or Feminine20.3.6Masculine & Feminine Nouns20.3.7Masculine Exceptions20.3.8Feminine Exceptions20.3.9Noun Endings that Are Usually Feminine20.3.10Noun Endings that Are Usually Masculine20.3.11Masculine Nouns20.3.12Masculine & Feminine Nouns20.3.13Plural Nouns that End in a Vowel20.3.14Plural Nouns that End in a Consonant
20.6Pronouns
20.7Negatives
20.8Questions
20.10Adverbs
Practice questions on Common Prepositions
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1How do you say 'towards' in Spanish?Multiple choice
- 2Common prepostitions:Fill in the list
Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium
Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions
Mini-mock exams based on your study history
Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books