Prepositions of Place in Spanish

Overview

Prepositions of place are among the first grammar points you will encounter when learning Spanish, and they are essential for describing where things are, where you are going, and how objects relate to each other in space. At the CEFR A1 level, mastering these small but mighty words gives you the power to navigate everyday situations -- from asking for directions to describing your home.

Spanish prepositions work differently from English in several important ways. Some Spanish prepositions cover multiple English meanings (for example, en can mean "in," "on," or "at"), while other concepts that are a single word in English require a two-word phrase in Spanish (like debajo de for "under"). Getting comfortable with these differences early on will make your Spanish sound much more natural.

How It Works

Spanish prepositions of place are placed before the noun or noun phrase they relate to, just like in English. Here are the most common ones:

Spanish	English	Example
en	in, on, at	Estoy en casa. (I am at home.)
de	from, of	Soy de México. (I am from Mexico.)
a	to	Voy a la tienda. (I go to the store.)
con	with	Voy con mi amigo. (I go with my friend.)
sin	without	Café sin azúcar. (Coffee without sugar.)
entre	between	Entre tú y yo. (Between you and me.)
sobre	on, about	El libro está sobre la mesa. (The book is on the table.)
debajo de	under	El gato está debajo de la mesa. (The cat is under the table.)
delante de	in front of	Estoy delante de la casa. (I am in front of the house.)
detrás de	behind	El jardín está detrás de la casa. (The garden is behind the house.)

Compound prepositions

Several Spanish prepositions of place are compound, meaning they consist of two words and always include de before the noun:

Spanish	English
debajo de	under, underneath
encima de	on top of
delante de	in front of
detrás de	behind
al lado de	next to
cerca de	near
lejos de	far from
dentro de	inside
fuera de	outside

The preposition en

The preposition en is one of the most versatile in Spanish. Unlike English, which distinguishes between "in," "on," and "at," Spanish uses en for all three in many contexts:

• Estoy en la cocina. -- I am in the kitchen.
• El libro está en la mesa. -- The book is on the table.
• Estoy en el trabajo. -- I am at work.

The preposition a and contractions

When a is followed by the masculine definite article el, they contract to al:

• Voy al supermercado. (I go to the supermarket.)

This does not happen with la, los, or las.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Estoy en casa.	I am at home.	en = at
El gato está debajo de la mesa.	The cat is under the table.	compound preposition
Voy al cine.	I'm going to the cinema.	a + el = al
El libro está sobre la mesa.	The book is on the table.	sobre = on
La farmacia está entre el banco y la tienda.	The pharmacy is between the bank and the store.	entre = between
El perro está detrás de la puerta.	The dog is behind the door.	compound preposition
Vivo cerca de la playa.	I live near the beach.	cerca de = near
El restaurante está delante del hotel.	The restaurant is in front of the hotel.	de + el = del
Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.	I leave the office at five.	de = from
Viajo sin maleta.	I travel without a suitcase.	sin = without

Common Mistakes

Forgetting de in compound prepositions

• Wrong: El gato está debajo la mesa.
• Right: El gato está debajo de la mesa.
• Why: Compound prepositions like debajo de, delante de, and detrás de always require de before the noun.

Using "en" for motion toward a place

• Wrong: Voy en la tienda.
• Right: Voy a la tienda.
• Why: Use a for motion toward a destination. En indicates location (being somewhere), not direction.

Translating "at" literally

• Wrong: Estoy a casa.
• Right: Estoy en casa.
• Why: In Spanish, en covers the English meanings of "in," "on," and "at" for locations. Do not use a for static location.

Forgetting the contraction al

• Wrong: Voy a el parque.
• Right: Voy al parque.
• Why: When a is followed by the masculine singular article el, they must contract to al. This is mandatory, not optional.

Practice Tips

• Label your surroundings. Look around your room and describe where objects are using compound prepositions: El teléfono está encima de la mesa. La mochila está debajo de la silla. This builds the habit of thinking in spatial terms.

• Draw a simple map. Sketch a street with a few buildings and practice describing their positions relative to each other: La biblioteca está entre el café y el banco. El parque está detrás del supermercado.

• Pay attention to en. Whenever you want to say "in," "on," or "at," try using en first. Over time, you will develop an intuition for when it works and when another preposition is needed.

Related Concepts

• Next steps: Personal A -- Learn the special use of a before people
• Next steps: Por vs Para - Basics -- Explore two important prepositions with overlapping meanings