Common Prepositions
Spanish: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 4.1.4
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.
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.
- Corrí hacia mi casa.
- Nuestra responsabilidad hacia el medio ambiente.
- Our responsibility towards the environment.
- Hacia medianoche.
- At about midnight.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Test yourself on Common Prepositions
How do you say 'towards' in Spanish?