Topic Summaries

Types of prepositions

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  • Prepositions are short words used before nouns or infinitives to show direction, place, time, cause, possession, etc.
  • Personal a: when the direct object of a verb is a person or pet, Spanish uses the personal a before it. This has no direct translation in English.
    • Veo a mi madre. (I see my mother.)
    • Busco a Juan. (I’m looking for Juan.)
    • Escucho a mi perro. (I listen to my dog.)
  • De to indicate possession: use de to express that something belongs to someone. It works like the possessive (’s) in English.
    • Es la casa de Hugo. (It’s Hugo’s house.)
    • El libro de María. (María’s book.)
    • La opinión del profesor. (The teacher’s opinion.)
  • Para, sin + infinitive: some prepositions are followed directly by an infinitive verb (the base form).
    • Estudio para sacar buenas notas. (I study in order to get good grades.)
    • Salió sin decir nada. (He left without saying anything.)
  • Verb + preposition combinations: some verbs must be followed by a specific preposition when used with another verb or noun. These are called fixed expressions, and the preposition can change or add to the verb’s meaning. Here are a few common examples:
Verb phrase Meaning Example
dejar de + infinitive to stop doing something Dejé de fumar. (I stopped smoking.)
ir de + noun to go (on/for) Fuimos de compras. (We went shopping.)
llegar a + infinitive to manage to do something Llegué a entenderlo. (I managed to understand it.)
soñar con + noun/infinitive to dream of/about Sueño con viajar. (I dream of traveling.)
pensar en + noun/infinitive to think about Pienso en ti. (I think about you.)

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