Master the Use of Prepositional Pronouns in Spanish With 7 Easy Steps
Prepositional pronouns in Spanish can be mastered with simple steps.
To understand prepositional pronouns in Spanish, I provide you with the definition, forms, and many example sentences. You’ll also learn a few exceptions so that nothing can surprise you in the future. And last but not least, you’ll be able to see how much you’ve learned by taking the quiz at the end of the article.
Read this article to learn all about the Spanish grammar topic of prepositional pronouns in Spanish!
Step 1 – Check Your Basics
To understand prepositional pronouns, you need to know what prepositions and pronouns are. I’m sure you do, but just let’s go quickly through these two to make sure we’re on the same page.
Let’s start with prepositions. They are short words that connect two elements in a sentence—usually verbs, nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. There are 23 prepositions in Spanish.
See also: The Ultimate Guide to Spanish Prepositions.
The most common Spanish prepositions are:
- a – to
- con – with
- de – of, from
- en – in, at, on
- para – for
- por – for
Check out: When to Use Por versus Para in Spanish: Rules, Chart, and Quiz
Now let’s look at the second part. Pronouns are words you use to substitute full nouns and names. Instead of saying:
Ana quiere un tomate.
Ann wants a tomato.
You can say:
Ella lo quiere.
She wants it.
Ella and lo are pronouns in the sentence. Ella is a subject pronoun, as it substitutes for the subject Ana. Lo is an object pronoun, as it substitutes for the direct object in the sentence.
There are nine types of pronouns in Spanish:
- Subject pronouns
- Possessive pronouns
- Direct object pronouns
- Indirect object pronouns
- Reflexive pronouns
- Indefinite pronouns
- Demonstrative pronouns
- Prepositional pronouns
Step 2 – Learn Prepositional Pronouns Definition
Prepositional pronouns are pronouns after prepositions in Spanish.
Easy, isn’t it? Learn the definition of prepositional pronouns—check.
Step 3 – Learn Prepositional Pronoun Forms
Let’s take a look at the prepositional pronoun forms. You’ll see that they’re similar to subject pronouns.
How many prepositional pronouns are there in Spanish? There are 10 forms, but did you notice that only two prepositional pronouns are different from the subject pronouns?
Now, we use prepositional pronouns usually as prepositional object pronouns in Spanish. However, if you use them reflexively (when the subject and object are the same), you may use the pronoun sí instead of él, ella, usted, ustedes.
Hágalo por sí, señor, por nadie más.
Do it for yourself, sir, for no one else.
Mind the accent marks! Mí and sí have the accent mark, but ti doesn’t.
Wow! You’re crushing it. Let’s go on to our next step.
Step 4 – Learn Prepositional Pronouns in Spanish With Examples
Now, it’s time to see the usage of prepositional pronouns. Let’s look at some prepositional pronoun phrases in Spanish to learn from examples.
No me gusta que hablen de mí.
I don’t like when they talk about me.
¿Qué significa amistad para ti?
What does friendship mean to you?
Díselo a él.
Tell him.
Sus amigos nunca creyeron en ella.
Her friends never believed in her.
Yo lo haría por usted.
I would do it for you.
Quiero que esto quede entre nosotros.
I want this to stay between us.
Para nosotras esto es muy fácil.
For us, this is very easy.
Me extraña escuchar esto viniendo de ustedes.
I’m surprised to hear this coming from you.
¡Vamos con ellos!
Let’s go with them!
Mi regalo es para ellas.
My gift is for them.
Do you see how easy it is to use prepositional pronouns? You’re almost done!
Step 5 – Learn Exceptions for Prepositional Pronouns
There are just two exceptions in terms of prepositional pronouns!
Con Exceptions
If you want to use prepositional pronouns after the preposition con, watch out for three changes:
- Con + mí = conmigo (with me)
- Con + ti = contigo (with you)
- Con + sí = consigo (with himself, herself, fml. yourself)
¿Puedo bailar contigo?
Can I dance with you?
Vamos contigo, no te preocupes.
We’re going with you, don’t worry.
Ella siempre habla consigo misma.
She always talks to herself.
Mí and ti Exceptions
You can’t use the pronouns mí and ti after the following prepositions. You’ll use the subject pronouns instead.
- entre – between
- excepto – except
- incluso – including
- menos – except
- salvo – except
- según – according to
Entre tú y yo no hay nada.
Between you and me there is nothing.
Todos se fueron excepto yo.
Everyone is gone except me.
Incluso tú lo sabes.
Even you know that.
Todos quieren vivir ahí menos yo.
Everyone wants to live there except for me.
Salvo tú, todos van a venir.
Except you, everyone is coming.
Según yo, no vamos a lograrlo.
According to me, we’re not going to make it.
Now you know everything about prepositional pronouns in Spanish!
Step 6 – Check Your Knowledge of Prepositional Pronouns in Spanish
It’s time for the penultimate step! Test your newfound knowledge of prepositional pronouns in Spanish. Look at the following 10 questions and choose ONE correct option for each sentence.
1. Todo lo que hago lo hago por ____ , Juan.
2. Ella lo es todo para ____ .
3. Para ______ es fácil, tiene mucho dinero.
4. Esto se queda entre ____ y ____ .
5. Vamos con ____ .
6. Todos quieren comer helado menos ____ .
7. ¿No quieren venir ________?
8. Cree que lo puede hacer por ____ solo.
9. Según ____ , todo esto es normal.
10. ¡Este regalo es para ____ !
Step 7 – Practice Prepositional Pronouns in Spanish
You made it to the last step! It’s a natural one if you’re serious about Spanish fluency. And being bilingual brings many benefits. One of the most compelling ones is the ability to travel and communicate in the local language. What’s more, did you know that the U.S. is home to 41 million native Spanish speakers?
To get serious about your Spanish and start today, sign up for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy. Let our friendly and professional teachers from Guatemala help you reach your fluency goals and practice prepositional pronouns in Spanish! Check out our affordable pricing and flexible programs!
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