Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 5

CEFR A1-A2

4 min read

Test yourself (23 questions)

Basic Spanish Prepositions: de, a, en, con, por, para

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

Six prepositions do most of the work in beginner Spanish:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  • Madrid . - I'm going to Madrid with my brother.
  • , Madrid. - I'm from London, but I live in Madrid.

The six prepositions on one screen

PrepositionMain jobsExample
to, at a time . I'm going home.
in, on, at a place . I'm at home.
of, from, made of . I'm from London.
with Ana. I'm going with Ana.
because of, through, by . Thanks for everything.
for someone, in order to . It's for you.

a and en: going there or being there

a (going, a point in time)en (being, a stretch of time)the contractionWhat do the colours mean?

is for going somewhere; is for being there. Spanish makes the choice every time English says at or in:

Two panels. In the first, a man with a moustache walks along the grass towards a yellow house, a dashed arrow pointing at its door. In the second, the same house is cut away to show him inside, waving, beside a lamp.
  1. .
  2. .

Walking towards the house is a; being inside it is en.

JobSpanishEnglish
going Madrid.I'm going to Madrid.
being Madrid.I'm in Madrid.
clock at three o'clock
month in January
transport by car
on foot on foot (the exception)

Clock times take ; months and years take . Days take neither: - on Monday.

covers English in, on and at in one word. With a container, though, means inside it, and on top is :

Six small panels with a grey cat and a yellow box: the cat sits on the box; the cat sits under the box, which stands on legs like a little table; the cat pokes its head out of the open box; the cat sits beside the box; the cat peeks over the top from behind the box with its tail sticking out; the cat sits in front of the box.

A box holds things, so en la caja is in the box; on top of it is encima de la caja. On a surface such as a table, en means on: en la mesa.

  • . - The book is on the table.
  • . - I'm at home.

has two more jobs in front of people. It marks a specific person as the object, the personal a: María. - I see María. And it marks who receives something: Ana. - I give the book to Ana.

de: of, from, made of

is the commonest preposition in Spanish. English often uses 's or a noun in front where Spanish uses :

JobSpanishEnglish
owner MaríaMaría's book
origin .I'm from London.
material a wooden table
kind the Spanish class
topic .We' talking about you.

Spanish has no 's: - my father's car.

con: with

means with, for company or for a tool:

  • . - I live with my brother.
  • , . - A white coffee, please.

With and it fuses into one word:

con + mí becomes conmigo
  • ¿ ? - Are you coming with me?
  • . - I'm going with you.

The two mandatory contractions

When or meets the article , the two words fuse. This is compulsory:

a + el becomes al
de + el becomes del
  • . - I'm going to the cinema.
  • . - It's the teacher's car.

Only the article contracts. , and never do, and nor does the pronoun :

  • . - I'm going to the house.
  • . - I'm talking about him.

por and para

English says for for both. As a first rule, looks ahead to a goal and looks back to a cause or covers the way through:

JobSpanishEnglish
: recipient .It's for you.
: purpose .I study to learn.
: deadline .It's for Monday.
: cause .Thanks for the help.
: through .We walk through the park.
: means .I'll phone you.
: exchange .I bought it for ten .

The pair that shows the difference:

  • . - I work for you. (you' my boss)
  • . - I work because of you, or in your place.

The full decision list is on por vs para.

Verb + preposition combinations

Some verbs fix their preposition, and it is often not the English one:

SpanishEnglishExample
to think about .
to dream of .
to depend on .
to marry Ana.
to start to .
to learn to .

The full list is on verbs with prepositions.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
a . .being somewhere is
a clock time is a
a . .a + must contract
María. María.a specific person takes a
. . takes
. . takes con

What to do next

  1. Do the a-or- sort and the spot-the-mistake drill below.
  2. Then por vs para, and the personal a.
  3. For , and the rest, see compound prepositions.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/6

Which preposition goes in the gap: a or en?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. I'm going to the cinema with my friends.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. The book is María's.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I'm going by train.

    Your sentence is empty.

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick por or para for each gap.

  1. Este regalo es ti. (for you to keep)

  2. Gracias la ayuda.

  3. Estudio aprender. (in order to)

  4. Te llamo teléfono.

  5. Caminamos el parque. (through it)

  6. Es el lunes. (the deadline)

Translation drill

0/3

Translate into English.

  1. Vienes conmigo.

  2. Es una mesa de madera.

  3. Llego a las tres.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a and in Spanish?
A is for movement towards a place and for clock times; is for being in a place and for months and years. a Madrid (I'm going to Madrid) but Madrid (I'm in Madrid); a (at three o'clock) but (in January). The classic slip is a for I'm at home: it is , because you are not moving.
When does a + become in Spanish?
Always, whenever the preposition a meets the article : , never a . does the same: . These are the only two compulsory contractions in Spanish. They never happen with , or (a , ), or with the pronoun ( ).
What is the difference between and ?
looks ahead to a goal: a recipient, a purpose, a destination, a deadline. (this present is for you). looks back to a cause, or covers a route, a means or an exchange: (thanks for the help), euros (I bought it for ten euros). The vs page has the full split.
How do you say 'on the table' in Spanish?
. covers in, on and at, so is on the table, is in the box and is at home. When it matters whether something is on top, Spanish can say (on top of the table).
What is the personal a in Spanish?
When the direct object of a verb is a specific person, Spanish puts a in front of it: a María (I see María), but (I see the house). It has no English translation, which is why learners forget it. The personal a page has the details.