Spanish Preposition Practice

Master por, para, a, de, en with contextual exercises.

Exercises20+
FocusPrepositions
KeyPor vs Para
CostFree

Por vs Para

The two most confusing prepositions for English speakers. Learn the patterns.

Este regalo es _____ ti. → para (recipient → para)
Gracias _____ tu ayuda. → por (reason/gratitude → por)
Voy a la tienda _____ comprar leche. → para (purpose → para)
Caminamos _____ el parque. → por (through/along → por)
Trabajo _____ una empresa grande. → para (employer → para)
Pagué 20 euros _____ el libro. → por (exchange → por)
Necesito el informe _____ el lunes. → para (deadline → para)
_____ la mañana siempre tomo café. → Por (time of day → por)
Memory trick

PARA = Purpose, Aim, Recipient, Approaching deadline. POR = Payment, Opinion, Reason, Duration, Through, On behalf of.

A, De, En

Vamos _____ la playa. → a (direction/destination → a)
Vengo _____ Madrid. → de (origin → de)
Estoy _____ casa. → en (location → en)
Empiezo _____ trabajar a las 9. → a (before infinitive with empezar → a)
Acabo _____ comer. → de (just did something → acabar de)
Sueño _____ viajar por el mundo. → con (dream about → soñar con)
Depende _____ la situación. → de (depend on → depender de)
Pienso _____ ti todo el día. → en (think about → pensar en)
Verb + preposition

Many Spanish verbs require specific prepositions that differ from English. Soñar CON (dream about), pensar EN (think about), depender DE (depend on). Memorize these as fixed pairs.

Quiz: Spanish Prepositions

1. 'Este regalo es _____ ti':

2. 'Gracias _____ venir':

3. 'Sueño _____ viajar':

4. 'Vamos _____ la playa':

5. 'Pagué 50 euros _____ la cena':

6. 'Estoy _____ casa':

7. 'Necesito esto _____ mañana':

8. 'Depende _____ ti':

9. 'Pienso _____ mi familia':

10. 'Caminamos _____ la calle':

Prepositions make or break fluency

Using the correct preposition is one of the clearest markers of Spanish fluency. Native speakers instantly notice wrong prepositions, even when the rest of the sentence is perfect.

Learn fixed verb-preposition pairs

The most efficient way to master prepositions is to learn them together with verbs. Soñar con, pensar en, depender de — memorize these as units, not separately.

Continue learning Spanish

Free tools for translation, text-to-speech and language learning.

▶ All Lessons✎ Translator