Understanding prepositions of place in Spanish is essential for anyone who wants to learn or improve their Spanish, since they are words used to locate objects, animals and people in space with respect to a reference point.
Prepositions help us explain locations and spatial relationships, and they make descriptions in Spanish much clearer. Prepositions of place most often consist of two or more words that function as a single preposition. These are also known as locuciones preposicionales.
Here we are going to see some of the most common prepositions of place in Spanish, along with simple explanations and examples to help you use them correctly. If you want to learn about this topic, don’t hesitate to read on and take note! 🙂
En
The preposition en in Spanish (“in” or “on”) is used to express that something is located in or on a place. For example:
- Yo estoy en mi casa (I am in my house).
- El libro está en la mesa (The book is on the table).
Sobre
The preposition sobre in Spanish (“on” or “above”) is used to mean “on top of” or “above.” It can also mean “about” in other contexts, but as a preposition of place it means “on”. See some examples:
- La lámpara está sobre la mesa (The lamp is on the table).
- El cuadro está sobre la cama (The picture is above the bed).
Encima de
The preposition encima de in Spanish (“on top of”, “on”) is similar to sobre, but if often gives a sense of something being directly on top of something else. For example:
- El peluche está encima de la cama (The teddy bear is on top of the bed).
- La pizza está encima de la mesa (Pizza is on the table).
Debajo de
The preposition debajo de in Spanish (“under”) is used to show that something or someone is underneath another object. See some examples:
- El gato está debajo de la silla (The cat is under the chair).
- La caja está debajo de la mesa (The box is under the table).
Al lado de
The preposition Al lado de (“next to” or “beside”) in Spanish is used to indicate that something is close to or next to something else. For example:
- La tienda está al lado del parque (The store is next to the park).
- El perro está al lado de él (The dog is beside him),
Cerca de
Cerca de (“near” or “close to”) means something is nearby, but not directly next to something. Some examples:
- Mi casa está cerca de la escuela (My house is near the school).
- Vivo cerca de la montaña, así que puedo verla desde mi ventana
(I live near the mountain, so I can see it from my window).
Lejos de
Use lejos de (“far from”) to indicate that something is far away from something else. For example:
- El hospital está lejos de aquí (The hospital is far from here).
- Vivimos lejos del centro de la ciudad (We live far from the city center).
Delante de
Delante de (“in front of”) is used to show that someone/something is in front of someone/something else:
- Los coches están delante de la casa (The car are in front of the house).
- o El gato está delante de la puerta (The cat is in front of the door).
Detrás de
The preposition detrás de (“behind”) is used to indicate that someone or something is behind something or someone else. For example:
- El gato está detrás de la silla (The cat is behind the chair).
- La mujer está detrás de la mesa (The woman is behind the table).
Entre
The preposition entre in Spanish can mean “between” when there are two things, or “among” when there are more than two things. For example:
- La floristería está entre la cafetería y la verdulería (The florist’s shop is between the cafeteria and the greengrocer’s shop).
- o El perro está entre el hombre y la mujer (The dog is between the man and the woman).
Dentro de
Use dentro de (“inside of”) to indicate that someone or something is inside or within a certain space:
- El gato está dentro de la caja (The cat is inside the box).
- Guardo los documentos importantes dentro de la carpeta (I keep the important documents inside the folder).
Fuera de
The preposition fuera de (“outside of”) is used to show that someone or something is outside or not within a specific space. See some examples:
- Los niños juegan fuera de la casa (The children play outside the house).
- La basura está fuera del edificio (The trash is outside the building).
A la izquierda de
Use a la izquierda de (to the left of) to indicate that someone or something is located to the left of another object, animal or person.
Example:
- La caja está a la izquierda del armario (The box is to the left of the wardrobe).
A la derecha de
A la derecha de (“to the right of”) is used to show that someone or something is located to the right of another object, animal or person. For example:
- La lámpara está a la derecha del sofá (The lamp is to the right of the sofa).
Enfrente de / en frente de
This preposition means “in front of”, and it is used to indicate that someone or something is located across from or facing an object, often with a sense of distance.
Example:
- La silla está enfrente de la mochila (The chair is in front of the bag).
Frente a
Frente a (“facing”, “across from”) is similar to enfrente de and is used to show that someone or something is directly facing or opposite another object, person, etc. It often implies a shorter distance and is commonly used when referring to the position of two or more people.
Example:
- Ella se sentó frente a su amiga en la cafetería (She sat across from her friend at the café).
Alrededor de
Use alrededor de (“around”) to indicate that someone or something surrounds or encircles another object, animal or person.
Example:
- La gente se reunió alrededor de la fuente (People gathered around the fountain).
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