Prepositions: Por, Para and More

A preposition (la preposición) links a noun, pronoun or verb to the rest of the sentence, showing a relationship of place, time, direction, cause or manner. In Spanish a preposition is followed by a noun, a pronoun or an infinitive — never by a conjugated verb.

Preposition	Usual meaning	Example
a	to / at	Voy a Madrid.
de	of / from	Soy de Sevilla.
en	in / on / at	Vivo en España.
con	with	Hablo con mi amigo.
para	for / in order to	Es para ti.
por	for / because of / through	Gracias por todo.

Two combinations always contract into a single word:

• a + el → al: Voy al cine. (I go to the cinema.)
• de + el → del: Vengo del colegio. (I come from school.)

These contractions are compulsory. Writing "a el" or "de el" (unless el is a name or an accented él) is an error.

Spanish places the preposition a before a direct object that is a specific person or pet. English has no equivalent, so it is easy to forget.

Sentence	Reason
Veo a María.	María is a specific person → personal a
Busco a mi hermano.	a specific person
Quiero a mi perro.	a pet is treated like a person
Veo la casa.	a thing → no personal a

• Conozco a tu profesor. — I know your teacher.
• Visito a mis abuelos. — I visit my grandparents.

The personal a is normally dropped after tener when it simply means "to have": Tengo dos hermanos (not "tengo a dos hermanos"). It also disappears before things: Miro la televisión.

Spanish has no apostrophe-s ('s). To show possession, it uses de and reverses the word order.

• el coche de mi padre — my father's car (literally "the car of my father")
• la casa de Ana — Ana's house
• los libros del profesor — the teacher's books (de + el → del)

The same preposition shows origin — where someone or something is from:

• Soy de Inglaterra. — I am from England.
• Este queso es de España. — This cheese is from Spain.

To ask who owns something, use ¿De quién es…? — ¿De quién es este bolígrafo? (Whose pen is this?)

De also appears in many fixed expressions of material or content: una mesa de madera (a wooden table), una clase de historia (a history lesson).

Both translate as "for", but they pull in opposite directions. para points forward to a goal or destination; por points back to a cause, or describes movement and exchange.

Use para for…	Example
purpose / in order to	Estudio para aprobar. (I study in order to pass.)
destination	Salgo para Madrid. (I leave for Madrid.)
recipient	Este regalo es para ti. (This gift is for you.)
deadline	La tarea es para el lunes. (The task is for Monday.)

Use por for…	Example
cause / reason	Gracias por tu ayuda. (Thanks for your help.)
movement through	Camino por el parque. (I walk through the park.)
exchange / price	Pagué diez euros por el libro. (I paid ten euros for the book.)
means / "by"	Hablamos por teléfono. (We talk by phone.)

A quick test: if you can replace "for" with "in order to" or "destined for", use para. If it means "because of", "through" or "in exchange for", use por.

Beyond a, de, por and para, these high-frequency prepositions appear constantly in the exam.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
en	in / on / at	Estoy en casa. (I am at home.)
con	with	Voy con mis amigos. (I go with my friends.)
sin	without	Café sin azúcar. (Coffee without sugar.)
entre	between / among	entre tú y yo (between you and me)
hacia	towards	Camina hacia la playa. (He walks towards the beach.)
desde	from / since	desde las ocho (from eight o'clock)
hasta	until / up to	hasta mañana (until tomorrow)
sobre	on / about	un libro sobre España (a book about Spain)

Desde… hasta is a useful pair for ranges: Trabajo desde las nueve hasta las cinco — I work from nine until five.

After a preposition, "with me" and "with you" have special forms: con + mí → conmigo, con + ti → contigo. (Higher tier) — ¿Vienes conmigo? (Are you coming with me?)

When a verb follows a preposition, Spanish uses the infinitive (the -ar/-er/-ir form), even where English uses the -ing form. This is one of the most reliable rules in the whole grammar.

Structure	Meaning	Example
para + infinitive	in order to …	Estudio para aprobar. (I study to pass.)
sin + infinitive	without …-ing	Salió sin comer. (He left without eating.)
antes de + infinitive	before …-ing	Me lavo los dientes antes de dormir. (before sleeping)
después de + infinitive	after …-ing	Después de comer, veo la tele. (After eating…)

• Trabajo mucho para ganar dinero. — I work hard (in order) to earn money.
• No puedes aprobar sin estudiar. — You cannot pass without studying.

The key point: never put a conjugated verb straight after these prepositions. Write antes de salir, not "antes de salgo".

1. Forgetting the personal a

A specific person as a direct object needs a: Veo a mi amigo, not "veo mi amigo". Remember it does not appear before things.

2. Not contracting al and del

A + el must become al and de + el must become del: Voy al cine, Vengo del trabajo. Writing "a el" or "de el" is wrong (unless él is the pronoun "him").

3. Swapping por and para

Para points to a goal, destination or recipient; por gives a cause, exchange or route. Gracias por tu ayuda (cause) but un regalo para ti (recipient).

4. Using the -ing form after a preposition

Spanish uses the infinitive: antes de comer, sin hablar, para ganar. There is no "antes de comiendo".

5. Writing con mí or con ti

These contract to conmigo and contigo. "Con mí" and "con ti" are incorrect.