With phrasal words like “depend on,” “believe in” and “feel like,” prepositions are absolutely necessary to discuss a range of topics in English.
They’re also super useful in Spanish.
And there are many Spanish verbs that take prepositions, so we’ve compiled the most common into a handy list for you.
But before we get to the verbs themselves, let’s just make sure you’ve got the basics down.
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What Is a Preposition?
Prepositions are words that provide context to sentences to relay necessary information between speakers. In short, prepositions are connectors that describe three elements:
- Where events take place: en la fiesta
— at the party - When events take place: tras la fiesta
— after the party - General descriptions: celebramos la fiesta con amigos
— we had the party with friends
The English language contains approximately 70 common prepositions, whereas Spanish has 60. In most instances, prepositions are used exactly the same and are easily transferrable between English and Spanish, as you can see in examples 2 and 3 above.
However, there are several common Spanish verbs that take prepositions, when their English translations do not. Sometimes the English translation still involves a preposition, but a different one from the Spanish! And other times, the English verbal phrase has a preposition, but the Spanish translation does not—so be careful!
Common Spanish Verbs with Prepositions
There are many prepositions in Spanish, but these top five connectors are the ones we’ll work with today. Review this shortlist and make sure you’ve got these down, as they’re used extensively in everyday Spanish conversations.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| en |
in |
| con |
with |
| a |
to/at |
| por |
for/by/through |
| de |
of/from |
For each of these prepositions, we’ll explore five common verbs that take that particular preposition. If you’re interested in learning more verbs than those below, you can find verb lists for each category here.
Verbs with en
The prepositional verbs in the en group can be followed by objects and/or infinitives. For our intents and purposes, keep in mind that an infinitive is simply a verb that has not been conjugated (i.e. comer
, cantar
).
You’ll note that prepositional verbs followed by infinitives are the equivalent of our “-ing” verbs in English. So be careful not to make the mistake of saying insitimos en yendo a la fiesta. Rather, you’d use the infinitive ir following the preposition, as in the previous example.
Verbs with con
Many of the verb/preposition phrases that use con don’t translate literally to “with” in English, so try to memorize these and be careful when translating.
Verbs with a
The prepositional verbs in the a group are special because in Spanish, unlike English, we have a grammar rule called the personal a. The personal a is placed before the object when the object is a person.
This can be confusing because this rule doesn’t exist in English, so take a close look at the following examples:
Verbs with por
Pay special attention to verb/preposition pairings with por, as this little word is very often confused with para.
Verbs with de
Again, many mistakes are commonly made with verbs that should be followed with de. This is because Spanish learners often try to translate phrases literally, and as you can see, most of the phrases don’t include the word “of.”
| Verb + preposition | Structure | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| acordarse de (to remember to) |
acordarse de + [infinitive/noun] | Acordarse de is often used with the infinitive haber (to have done something) in order to recall past events, but you can also use it with objects. | Me acuerdo de haberte visto una vez. (I remember having seen you once before.) Me acuerdo de ti. |
| depender de (to depend on) |
depender de + [noun] | This another commonly confused verb/preposition pair, and many English speakers make the mistake of saying “depender en.” | Nuestros planes dependen del clima. (Our plans depend on the weather.) |
| dejar de (to stop doing something) |
dejar de + [infinitive] | When we just use the verb dejar followed by a noun, it means to leave something. But with de and an infinitive verb, it means to stop doing something. | Deja de gritarme. (Stop yelling at me.) |
| tratar de (to try/attempt to) |
tratar de + [infinitive] | This one often gets confused, along with intentar (to try to), which doesn’t use a preposition. | Trato de ser feliz. (I try to be happy.) |
| alegrarse de (to be glad about) |
alegrarse de + [infinitive/noun] | For both infinitives and objects, alegrarse de means “to be glad about.” | Me alegro de escuchar la buena noticia. (I’m glad to hear the good news) Te alegrarás de la noticia. |
Verbs That Use Multiple Prepositions
Some verbs in Spanish can be used with various prepositions to evoke different meanings. Here are a handful of these verbs, along with some of the prepositions they can be paired with.
acabar
— to finish
Acabar (to finish) is a very simple verb that normally doesn’t cause trouble for Spanish learners, unless it’s paired with one of many possible prepositions.
dar
— to give
Our second verb that can be paired with various prepositions is the verb dar and its reflexive version darse.
| Verb + preposition | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| dar a — to overlook, to face, to open into/onto |
This phrase typically describes the orientation or direction of something, such as a window, door, balcony or room, with respect to a particular view, location or direction. | Mi ventana da al lago. (My window overlooks the lake.) Esa puerta da al salón. |
| dar con — to find, to come across |
This phrase is used when you discover or encounter something unexpectedly. | Caminando por el bosque, di con una cascada escondida. (While walking through the forest, I came across a hidden waterfall.) Tras buscar durante horas, finalmente dimos con las llaves del coche. |
| darse con/contra — to bump into, to collide with |
Darse contra emphasizes collisions and physical impacts, while darse con can describe any kind of unexpected encounter or finding. | Al revisar mi antigua caja de recuerdos, me di con una fotografía de mi abuela. (While going through my old memory box, I came across a photograph of my grandmother.) El automóvil se dio contra un árbol en el accidente. |
estar
– to be
Estar is a very common verb that can be paired with lots of prepositions to express a variety of meanings.
| Verb + preposition | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| estar a — to cost, to be |
Use estar a when you talk about variable things, like prices, temperatures, dates, distances and so on. | Los tomates están a dos euros el kilo. (Tomatoes cost two euros per kilo.) Aquí estamos a 40ºC. |
| estar con — to be with/alongside, to agree with, to be experiencing, to be in a relationship, to support/stand by |
This common phrase has a variety of meanings, similar to the way “to be with” can mean many things in English. | Mi padre está con gripe. (My father has the flu.) Luisa estuvo con Manolo tres años. |
| estar de — to be (temporary condition or job), to be in favor of, to be in the mood for |
Estar de can mean many things depending on the context. The common phrase “Estoy de acuerdo” (I agree) is just one way it can be used to express agreement. |
Estoy de su propuesta. (I’m in favor of their proposal.) Estoy de vacaciones en Madrid. María está de cocinera este verano. |
| estar por + [infinitive] — to be up for/in favor of, to intend to/be leaning towards, to be yet to/about to |
Estar por is commonly used to express someone’s intention or inclination.
It can also indicate that someone is ready to or about to do something. |
¿Estás por pedir pizza o cocinamos en casa? (Are you in favor of ordering pizza, or should we cook at home?) Estoy por aceptar la oferta de trabajo en Nueva York. Aunque la noticia estaba por confirmar, empezamos a celebrar la victoria. Estoy por llegar a casa. |
| estar para + [infinitive] — to be ready/qualified/poised to |
Estar para is primarily used to indicate that someone or something is in a certain condition or state that makes them ready or suitable for a particular action or purpose.
Like estar por, it can also mean “to be about to.” |
Hoy no estoy para bromas, he tenido un día difícil. (I’m not in the mood for jokes today; I’ve had a tough day.) Estamos para aterrizar. |
hacer
— to do
Hacer and its reflexive form hacerse can express different meanings when combined with a few different prepositions.
meterse
— to get in
You may know that the verb meter means “to put inside” or “to place.” Its reflexive form can mean various things depending on which preposition it’s paired with.
| Verb + preposition | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| meterse a + [infinitive/noun] — to start/embark on, to get involved in, have a go at, to become, to enter/access |
Meterse a generally involves starting, engaging in or becoming involved in a particular activity, role or situation. It can also refer to entering or accessing a certain place or area. | Ella se metió a cantante a temprana edad. (She embarked on a singing career at a young age.) No se puede meter a esta zona sin permiso. |
| meterse con — to tease/mess with, to get involved in/associate with, to date |
Generally, meterse con implies getting involved in something, whether it’s a situation, argument, relationship or activity. However, it can also mean to mess with, make fun of, bully or mock someone. | No te metas con Juan, es más grande que tú. (Don’t mess with Juan; he’s bigger than you.) Se metió con su compañero de trabajo. |
| meterse de — to get involved in/engage in, to find a job as |
This phrase typically implies taking on a role or profession, or participating in a specific activity or situation. | Mi amigo se metió de chef y ahora trabaja en un restaurante muy conocido. (My friend became a chef and now works in a well-known restaurant.) Después de años como estudiante, finalmente decidi meterme de profesor de historia. |
pasar
— to pass, to happen
Pasar is a very versatile verb. Here are three ways you can use pasar with different prepositions.
| Verb + preposition | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| pasar a + [infinitive] — to go through/enter, to pass by, to start doing something new, to switch to, to turn into |
Pasar a has many meanings depending on its context. It often indicates a change or the passing of one phase or condition to another. | Por favor, pasa a la sala de espera. (Please, go into the waiting room.) El agua pasa a hielo cuando se congela. Pasó a ser el director de la compañía después de muchos años de trabajo. Vamos a pasar a la siguiente etapa del proyecto. |
| pasar de — to not care about, to ignore, to exceed |
Pasar de can have several meanings, but one of its most common uses is to indicate the idea of “not caring about” or “ignoring.” | Los niños pasan de las reglas y hacen lo que quieren. (The children ignore the rules and do what they want.) El gasto pasó de nuestro presupuesto planeado. |
| pasar por — to go near or through, to pass/drop by, to be seen as/considered |
Pasar por is a verb/preposition combo that we use both literally and metaphorically. | Pasaba por el parque cuando lo vi. (I was walking through the park when I saw him.) Están pasando por un momento difícil en sus vidas. Él pasa por un experto en tecnología. |
quedar
— to stay/remain, to be left (over), to be located
Here are four different pairings of quedar or its reflexive form quedarse with prepositions.
| Verb + preposition | Usage | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| quedar con + [infinitive] — to meet with, to agree upon, to be consistent/align with |
Quedar con is often used when talking about plans to meet with someone or do something. It can also be used to express agreement or alignment. | Voy a quedar con Ana para tomar un café. (I’m going to meet with Ana for coffee.) Tenemos que quedar con el equipo sobre los detalles del proyecto. Mi versión de los hechos no queda con la tuya. |
| quedar en + [place/infinitive] — to agree/decide to |
The phrase quedar en is often used in casual conversation to indicate an agreement or arrangement to do something or meet someone. | Quedamos en el café a las 5 de la tarde. (We agreed to meet at the cafe at 5:00 in the afternoon.) Hemos quedado en casarnos en Las Vegas. Han quedado en un precio justo por el carro. |
| quedarse con — to stay with, to keep, to choose/select |
You might already know that quedarse con means “to stay with” someone. But it can also mean to keep or to select something. | Me voy a quedar con mis primos este verano. (I’m going to stay with my cousins this summer.) Elena se queda con la casa de su ex. Me quedo con la segunda opción. |
| quedarse en — to remain in a place, to decide or choose |
In some contexts, quedarse en can also mean “to agree/accept,” “to remember/keep in mind” or “to focus on/stick to.” | Hoy me quedo en casa. (Today, I’m staying at home.) Después de leer los menús, nos quedamos en pedir pizza. |
10 Common Verbs in Spanish Without Prepositions
The reason why these can be confusing is that while they don’t have a preposition in Spanish, the English translation of these verbs does use a preposition.
One common mistake by new Spanish learners is to use buscar para when they want to say “to look for,” which is incorrect. In Spanish, buscar
means “to look for,” so you should follow the verb directly with the object: busco trabajo
(I’m looking for a job).
Here are 10 more common verbs that don’t have a preposition in Spanish. (Note: Verbs 6 to 10 don’t have a preposition in Spanish because they’re followed by an infinitive, which is “to + verb” in English.)
A more extensive list is available here, and you can keep practicing and testing yourself here.
How to Learn Spanish Verbs with Prepositions
Our list will be more useful to you if you know some effective ways to learn these Spanish verbs. Pick a new verb from our list every day and try to use it at least five times in your daily conversation and writing practice.
- Read and listen. Reinforce these verbs through receptive activities, such as listening to podcasts and reading the news to make them sound natural to you. Pick a prepositional verb from the list above and listen/watch closely for it.
Jot down the phrase or sentence in which you heard the prepositional verb. Pause/stop to analyze at every instance. Ask yourself: Is this a preposition on its own, or is it linked to a verb?
- Flashcards and exercises. Do your best to get these prepositions and verbs drilled into your memory using flashcards (pre-made decks can be found here and here), reviewing additional preposition verb lists and using online lessons. But don’t forget to get creative with your learning!
- Spanish songs. Love music? Look up some of your favorite songs in Spanish to see if you can pick out any prepositional verbs from their lyrics. Or check out these three songs, which have prepositional verbs:
- “Acuérdate De Mí” (“Remember Me”) by Morat — Video and lyrics
- “Confío en ti” (“I trust you”) by Grupo Cali — Video and lyrics
- “Stand by” by Extremoduro — Video and lyrics
- Spanish expressions. There are many set Spanish expressions that use prepositional verbs, too; try employing the three below:
- Google search. Another great technique is to do a Google search for short texts, blog posts or online articles that use prepositional verbs—because there are tons! Simply type in your prepositional verb into the search bar (in quotes), add a topic and you’ll get many written resources. Check these out to get started:
And now you have something new to be happy about: You’re a step closer to fluency by having learned these verbs! Keep practicing, and don’t forget to make it fun!
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
