Stop translating prepositions one by one — it never works. Learn the map instead: which English prepositions arrive at the same Spanish word, and which ones split in two. Tap through the tabs, flip the cards, then test yourself at the end.
Three words in · one word out
Where things are: it's nearly always en
English makes you choose between in, on and at. Spanish mostly doesn't care. Inside a box, on top of a table, at your workplace — all en.
English
Spanish
in the box · in Spain
en la caja · en España
on the table · on the wall
en la mesa · en la pared
at home · at work · at school
en casa · en el trabajo · en el colegio
on TV · on the internet
en la tele · en internet
by car · by train · by plane
en coche · en tren · en avión
When you feel yourself hesitating between in, on and at — don't. Say en and move on. You'll be right almost every time. Only reach for dentro de (inside) or encima de / sobre (on top of) when the precision genuinely matters.
Two exceptions worth memorising now:
• Days of the week take no preposition at all: en lunes → el lunes.
• On foot is a pie, not en pie. (Transport is en, but your own legs are a.)
Movement · clock time · people
A is an arrow →
Think of a as pointing at something: a destination you're heading to, or the exact point on the clock.
English
Spanish
I'm going to Madrid
Voy a Madrid
We arrived in Valencia
Llegamos a Valencia
at five o'clock
a las cinco
by hand · on foot
a mano · a pie
The "personal a" — the one English doesn't have
When the thing receiving the action is a person (or a beloved pet), Spanish adds an a that translates to absolutely nothing in English.
Thing
Person
Veo la tele — I watch TV
Veo a María — I see María
Espero el autobús
Espero a mi hermana
Busco mis llaves
Busco a mi profesora
People get an escort. If a human being is on the receiving end of the verb, slip an a in front of them. It will feel pointless for a while and then suddenly automatic — that's normal, and it's the fastest way to sound like a real Spanish speaker.
Llegar always takes a, even though English says "arrive in": llegar en Valencia → llegar a Valencia. Also note voy a casa for "I'm going home" — no article with your own home.
Origin · material · possession
There is no apostrophe in Spanish
This is the big one. Spanish has no 's. To say who owns something, you flip the phrase around and join it with de.
English
Flip it → Spanish
Ana's car
the car of Ana → el coche de Ana
my sister's house
la casa de mi hermana
I'm from Portland
Soy de Portland
a cup of coffee
una taza de café
made of wood
de madera
the best in the world
el mejor del mundo
Practise with names you actually use: my mum's phone → the phone of my mum → el móvil de mi madre. Do it out loud with five people you know and the structure sticks in one sitting.
Two contractions are compulsory — Spanish refuses to say them any other way:
• de + el = del → de el coche → del coche
• a + el = al → a el cine → al cine
They only happen with el. Never with la, los, las.
One word in · two words out
The only one that splits
Everywhere else Spanish simplifies. Here it does the opposite — and this is why por and para feel hard. The shortcut: para looks forward, por looks backward or moves through.
Para → the goal ahead
Use
Example
Who it's for
Este regalo es para ti — This gift is for you
Purpose (in order to)
Estudio para hablar con mi familia
Deadline
Es para mañana — It's due tomorrow
Destination
Salgo para Valencia
Por → the reason behind, the route through
Use
Example
Cause / thanks
Gracias por la clase
Exchange, price
Lo compré por 20 euros
Part of the day
Por la mañana · por la noche
Through / around
Paseamos por el parque
Means of communication
Hablamos por teléfono
Don't try to master the whole system yet. Learn these six as fixed phrases and you'll cover most everyday situations: gracias por · por la mañana · por teléfono · para ti · para mañana · para + verb (in order to). The logic will click later, once your ear has heard them a hundred times.
"To study in order to learn" is purpose, so it's estudio por aprender → estudio para aprender. And both versions of "for me" exist: para mí = in my opinion, or addressed to me · por mí = as far as I'm concerned.
Clock · day · month
Four little rules and you're done
English
Spanish
at five o'clock
a las cinco
on Monday
el lunes — no preposition!
on Mondays (every week)
los lunes
in May · in 2026 · in summer
en mayo · en 2026 · en verano
in the morning / afternoon
por la mañana / la tarde
at night
por la noche
on the weekend
el fin de semana
Pocket rule: clock time → a · day → el / los · month, year, season → en · part of the day → por.
This is the single most common English-speaker slip in Spanish: en lunes tengo clase → el lunes tengo clase. And the article carries real meaning — el lunes is this coming Monday, los lunes is every Monday.
Verbs with a different partner
Some verbs simply marry a different preposition in Spanish, and there's no logic to deduce — you learn them as a pair. Tap a card to check yourself.
Verbs that swallow the preposition
These English verbs come with a preposition glued on. Their Spanish equivalents already contain that meaning — so you add nothing.
English
Spanish — nothing after the verb
look for
buscar — Busco mis llaves
wait for
esperar — Espero el autobús
ask for
pedir — Pido un café
listen to
escuchar — Escucho música
look at
mirar — Miro el mar
pay for
pagar — Pago la cena
busco por mis llaves → busco mis llaves. The for is already inside the verb.
One twist: if you're looking for or waiting for a person, the personal a comes back — espero a mi prima. That a is there because of the person, not because of the English "for".
One screen, everything on it
Screenshot this. It's the whole guide compressed into what you actually need mid-conversation.
en
in · on · at (place) · by car/train
a
to (movement) · at + clock time · before a person
de
of · from · 's · made of
para
for someone · in order to · deadline
por
thanks for · price · through · part of the day
el / los
days of the week — no preposition
The five mistakes to unlearn first
Don't say
Say
en lunes
el lunes
busco por mis llaves
busco mis llaves
llego en Valencia
llego a Valencia
de el coche · a el cine
del coche · al cine
veo mi prima
veo a mi prima
You don't need to get prepositions right to be understood — you'll be perfectly clear either way. Fix them slowly, one at a time, while you keep talking. Fluency first, polish after.
Practice
Ten questions on the traps that catch English speakers. Every answer comes with an explanation.