Why do Spanish prepositions of place end in de?

Because delante, detrás, encima, debajo, cerca and lejos are adverbs, and Spanish needs de to hook them onto a noun. El coche está delante means the car is in front; to say in front of what, add de: delante de la casa. Drop the de and the phrase is wrong: never delante la casa.

Is it detrás de mí or detrás mío?

Detrás de mí is the standard form, with de and the strong pronoun mí (with an accent, unlike the possessive mi). Detrás mío and delante nuestro are common in speech on both sides of the Atlantic, but the RAE advises against them in careful use, so keep to de mí, de ti, de nosotros in writing.

What is the difference between delante de and antes de?

Delante de is in front of, in space: delante de la casa (in front of the house). Antes de is before, in time: antes de las ocho (before eight). English 'before' can do both jobs; Spanish splits them, so delante de las ocho is wrong.

What is the difference between debajo de and bajo?

Debajo de is the everyday way to say physically under: el gato está debajo de la mesa (the cat is under the table). Bajo is one word, more formal, and also covers the abstract cases: bajo la lluvia (in the rain), bajo control (under control), cinco grados bajo cero (five below zero).

Spanish Compound Prepositions: delante de, a pesar de

Q: What is the difference between antes de and antes de que?

Antes de takes a noun or an infinitive: antes de la cena (before dinner), antes de salir (before leaving). Antes de que takes a whole clause with its own subject, always in the subjunctive: te llamo antes de que salgas (I'll ring you before you leave). After de comes a noun or infinitive; after de que, a conjugated verb.

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

A compound preposition is a word plus or a working as one preposition. The is never optional, and a pronoun after it is the strong form:

Quick check

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

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the form that fits the English cue.

Hay un coche la casa. (in front of)
Llegamos las ocho. (before)
Te veo una hora. (an hour from now)

. - The car is in front of the house.
. - He/She sat in front of me.

Compound prepositions at a glance

+ de+ aWhat do the colours mean?

The whole page on one screen. Most end in ; a handful end in a.

Job	Spanish	English
place		in front of the house
place		under the table
place		near here
place		right by the window
idea		despite the rain
idea		instead of coffee
idea		thanks to you
time		before eight
time		in an hour's time

Two things the table cannot show: the strong pronoun after the ( ), and the a whole clause needs ( ). Both have their own section below.

Place: the de family

+ deWhat do the colours mean?

, and are adverbs. On their own they say where, with no noun:

. - The car is in front.
. - The car is in front of the house.

To name the thing, add . Drop it and the phrase is wrong: never .

Spanish	English
	in front of the door
	behind the house
	on top of the table
	under the bed
	inside the box
	away from home
	near the beach
	far from the city
	next to the house
	around the table
	opposite my house

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.

and merge into , as they do everywhere:

. - I live near the centre.

Two that take a: junto a, frente a

+ aWhat do the colours mean?

. - He/She sat right by the window.
. - The hotel faces the sea.

With a pronoun: delante de mí

+ de+ athe strong pronounWhat do the colours mean?

After the the strong pronoun, the same one as after any preposition. Only and differ from the subject pronouns:

Person	Spanish	English
me		in front of me
you		behind you
him		near him
her		next to her
us		far from us
them		around them

carries an accent; without it means my. In speech you will hear and , but the RAE advises against them in careful Spanish. Write .

The two that take a work the same way: - right next to me.

Under, on, behind: bajo, sobre, tras

Three short prepositions shadow the compounds. and are more formal ( is everyday too), and they also cover abstract cases where the compound would be wrong:

Compound	One word	Example
		- under the table (formal)
(none)		- in the rain
(none)		- under control
		- on the table
		- a book about the war
		- behind the door (written)
		- after the meeting
(none)		- day after day

For a cat under a table, say . After another preposition, only works:

. - The cat came out from under the bed.

, and can all mean on. is the everyday choice; stresses on top of it.

Delante de or enfrente de

is directly in front; is opposite, across a street or a room:

. - The taxi is outside the hotel.
. - The chemist's is opposite the hotel.

Ideas: a pesar de, en vez de, gracias a

+ de+ aWhat do the colours mean?

A second family links ideas rather than places. Learn these whole, because the meaning does not fall out of the parts:

Meaning	Spanish	English
despite	`, .`	Despite the rain, we went out.
instead of	`, .`	Instead of coffee, I had tea.
instead of	`, .`	Instead of that, come tomorrow.
besides	`, .`	Besides being dear, it is ugly.
about	`.`	A book about the war.
thanks to	`, .`	Thanks to you, I passed.
owing to	`.`	It was cancelled owing to the rain.
as for	`, .`	As for me, I'm not going.

and mean the same. a is for a cause you are glad of; for one you blame, Spanish says :

. - We were late because of the rain.

Before a verb: antes de salir, antes de que salgas

+ dea conjugated verb, after de queWhat do the colours mean?

A compound preposition can take a noun, an infinitive or a whole clause. The clause needs :

Follows	Spanish	English
a noun		before dinner
an infinitive		before leaving
a clause		before you leave

Same subject in both halves: the infinitive. A new subject: and a conjugated verb.

, . - Before I go out, I shut the door.
. - I'll ring you before you leave.
, . - Although it was raining, we went out.

always takes the subjunctive. A depends on meaning: a known fact takes the indicative, as in above. The full set is on the subjunctive in adverbial clauses page.

Space or time: delante de or antes de

English "before" covers space and time. Spanish splits them:

Job	Space	Time
before
after
inside, in

counts from now: an hour from now. says how long something takes:

. - I'll be back in an hour.
. - I did it in an hour.

Much of Latin America also uses for an hour from now; is clear everywhere.

Mistakes English speakers make

Wrong	Right	Why
		the is compulsory
		the strong pronoun has an accent
		before eight, in time, is
		a clause needs
		takes the subjunctive

What to do next

Say the out loud every time: , , .
Do the cat story and the sort below.
Then the verbs with prepositions ( , ), and the basics on Spanish prepositions.

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

0/8

Which little word completes each compound preposition: de or a?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/5

Choose the right form for each gap.

The cat who never sits still

Mi gato nunca está quieto. Por la mañana duerme la cama. comer, se sienta la ventana y mira la calle. la lluvia, sale al jardín. Por la noche siempre duerme mí, en el sofá.

Gap 1 of 5

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the form that fits the English cue.

Hay un coche la casa. (in front of)
Llegamos las ocho. (before)
Te veo una hora. (an hour from now)
Todo está control.
El gato salió de la cama.
ti, aprobé el examen. (thanks to)

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the mistake.

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

He/She sat in front of me.
Your sentence is empty.
I'll ring you before you leave.
Your sentence is empty.

Frequently asked questions

Why do Spanish prepositions of place end in ?

Because , , , , and are adverbs, and Spanish needs to hook them onto a noun. means the car is in front; to say in front of what, add : . Drop the and the phrase is wrong: never .

Is it or ?

is the standard form, with and the strong pronoun (with an accent, unlike the possessive ). and are common in speech on both sides of the Atlantic, but the RAE advises against them in careful use, so keep to , , in writing.

What is the difference between and ?

is in front of, in space: (in front of the house). is before, in time: (before eight). English 'before' can do both jobs; Spanish splits them, so is wrong.

What is the difference between and ?

takes a noun or an infinitive: (before dinner), (before leaving). takes a whole clause with its own subject, always in the subjunctive: (I'll ring you before you leave). After a noun or infinitive; after , a conjugated verb.

What is the difference between and ?

is the everyday way to say physically under: (the cat is under the table). is one word, more formal, and also covers the abstract cases: (in the rain), (under control), (five below zero).

Spanish Compound Prepositions: delante de, a pesar de

Quick check

Pick the right one

Compound prepositions at a glance

Place: the de family

Two that take a: junto a, frente a

With a pronoun: delante de mí

Under, on, behind: bajo, sobre, tras

Delante de or enfrente de

Ideas: a pesar de, en vez de, gracias a

Before a verb: antes de salir, antes de que salgas

Space or time: delante de or antes de

Mistakes English speakers make

What to do next

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

Complete the story

Pick the right one

Spot the mistake

Put the words in order

Practice worksheets and infographics

Free for members

Frequently asked questions

Spanish Compound Prepositions: delante de, a pesar de

Quick check

Pick the right one

Practise: test yourself

Sort into groups

Complete the story

Pick the right one

Spot the mistake

Put the words in order

Practice worksheets and infographics

Free for members

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions