A - Spanish Preposition - Lawless Spanish Grammar


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Preposición

The Spanish preposition a is generally summarized as "to or at," but it has a few more meanings and uses than that.

When a is followed by the definite article el, the two words must contract: a + el = al.

1) Destination
	Estoy de camino a Madrid.	I’m on my way to Madrid.
	¡Vamos a la playa!	Let’s go to the beach!
2) Position
	Alguien está a la puerta.	Someone is at the door.
	Siempre está a mi lado.	He’s always by my side.
3) Distance
	Estamos a dos kilómetros de la escuela.	We’re two kilometers from the school.
	Vive a 20 minutos de aquí.	He lives 20 minutes away from here.
4) Point in time
	Llegará al mediodía.	She’ll arrive at noon.
	Escribí mi primer libro a los 25 años.	I wrote my first book at (the age of) 25.
5) End of a range of time / amount
	Necesito de 2 a 3 horas para hacerlo.	I need 2 to 3 hours to do it.
	de lunes a sábado	from Monday to Saturday
6) Manner or method
	ir a caballo	to go on horseback
	pintado a mano	painted by hand, hand-painted
7) Personal a
	Veo a la chica.	I see the girl.
	¿Buscas a Pablo?	Are you looking for Pablo?
8) After verbs
	Many verbs must be followed by a in front of a noun or infinitive.