🇪🇸 Prepositions of Place in Spanish: How to say where things are 📌
- Mónica Jiménez
- Nov 3, 2025
- 8 min read
Do you know where your coffee is right now? ☕️If you can say it in Spanish, congratulations — you’re already using prepositions of place in Spanish! 🎉
But if you still mix up en, encima de, and debajo de, don’t worry — even Spaniards use their hands to explain where things are 😅.
Let’s fix that today with examples, gestures, and real expressions that Spaniards actually use 🇪🇸✨
🧭 What are Prepositions of Place in Spanish?
In English, they’re in, on, under, behind, next to, or between.
In Spanish, you use them every single day — to give directions, describe spaces, or talk about where something is.
👉 Examples:
El libro está en la mesa. — The book is on the table.
El gato está debajo de la silla. — The cat is under the chair.
El hotel está delante de la playa. — The hotel is in front of the beach.
🗺️ Prepositions and Adverbs of Distance in Spanish
Let’s start by talking about how far things are — near, far, here, or there.
Spanish | 🇬🇧 English | 💬 Example |
|---|---|---|
aquí / acá | here | Estoy aquí. — I’m here. |
ahí | there (close) | El libro está ahí. — The book is there (near you). |
allí / allá | there (far) | La playa está allá. — The beach is over there. |
cerca de | near | Mi casa está cerca de la playa. — My house is near the beach. |
lejos de | far from | El aeropuerto está lejos del centro. — The airport is far from downtown. |
💡 Tip: Use cerca de and lejos de with de + noun, but aquí, ahí, allí stand alone — they don’t need de.
🏠 Prepositions of Place in Spanish (Position and Direction)
Now that you know how to talk about distance, let’s describe where things are exactly — on, under, behind, next to, and more.
These words are essential when giving directions, describing a room, or finding something you’ve lost 😅
🪴 En — In / On / At
This little word is everywhere in Spanish!Use en to say that something is inside, on top of, or at a place.
📍 Examples:
✏️ La planta está en la mesa. — The book is on the table.
✏️ Estoy en casa. — I’m at home.
✏️ Las llaves están en el bolso. — The keys are in the bag.
👉 Unlike English, 'en' can mean 'in, on, or at', depending on context.
🧺 Encima de / Sobre — On / On top of
Use these when something is physically above or touching another object.Both mean almost the same, but encima de is more common in Spain 🇪🇸.
📍 Examples:
✏️ El móvil está encima de la cama. — The phone is on the bed.
✏️ Hay un cuadro sobre la chimenea. — There’s a painting on the fireplace.
🪶 Debajo de — Under / Below
Used when something is under or covered by another thing.
📍 Examples:
✏️ El gato está debajo de la silla. — The cat is under the chair.
✏️ La alfombra está debajo de la mesa. — The carpet is under the table.
🏛️ Delante de / Enfrente de — In front of / Across from
These two are close in meaning:
💡 Delante de: directly in front (facing the same direction).
💡 Enfrente de: across from, facing each other.
📍 Examples:
✏️ El coche está delante de la casa. — The car is in front of the house.
✏️ El hotel está enfrente del museo. — The hotel is across from the museum.
🚗 Detrás de — Behind
For something at the back of another object or place.
📍 Examples:
✏️ El coche está detrás del edificio. — The car is behind the building.
✏️ El jardín está detrás de la casa. — The garden is behind the house.
🧭 A la derecha de / A la izquierda de — To the right of / To the left of
Perfect when giving directions!
📍 Examples:
✏️ El baño está a la derecha del ascensor. — The bathroom is to the right of the elevator.
✏️ El bar está a la izquierda del hotel. — The bar is to the left of the hotel.
🏪 Entre / En medio de — Between / In the middle of
Used when something is located between two things or people.
📍 Examples:
✏️ El banco está entre el bar y la farmacia. — The bank is between the bar and the pharmacy.
✏️ Estoy en medio de una reunión. — I’m in the middle of a meeting.
🏘️ Al lado de / Junto a — Next to / Beside
These are interchangeable and mean that something is very close to another thing.
📍 Examples:
✏️ La farmacia está al lado del supermercado. — The pharmacy is next to the supermarket.
✏️ Mi casa está junto a un parque. — My house is beside a park.
🚪 Dentro de / Fuera de — Inside / Outside
Used to show if something or someone is inside or outside a space.
📍 Examples:
✏️ Las toallas están dentro del armario. — The towels are inside the closet.
✏️ El coche está fuera del garaje. — The car is outside the garage.
🌳 Alrededor de — Around
Used when something surrounds or goes around another object.
📍 Examples:
✏️ Hay árboles alrededor de la plaza. — There are trees around the square.
✏️ Mucha gente camina alrededor del parque. — Many people walk around the park.
💡 Grammar Tip: Use of - de -
Almost all prepositions need de, except en, entre, and sobre.
👉 debajo de la mesa, detrás del coche, but en la mesa ✅
When the next word starts with el, remember that de + el = del:
✅ detrás del coche — behind the car
✅ encima del sofá — on the couch
📍 Use them with the verb estar
Prepositions of place are always used with the verb estar because they describe temporary location — where something or someone is right now.
✅ El libro está en la mesa. — The book is on the table.
✅ Madrid está en el centro de España. — Madrid is in the center of Spain.
❌ El libro es en la mesa. → Incorrect in Spanish
💬 Remember: In Spanish from Spain, estar is the natural verb for locations, both for objects and people. You’ll only use ser for events (like parties or concerts):
🎉 La fiesta es en mi casa. — The party is at my house.
📋 Detailed Table — Prepositions of Place
Spanish | 🇬🇧 English | 💬 Example |
en | in / on / at | El libro está en la mesa. — The book is on the table. |
encima de / sobre | on / on top of | El móvil está encima de la cama. — The phone is on the bed. |
debajo de | under / below | El gato está debajo de la silla. — The cat is under the chair. |
delante de / enfrente de | in front of / across from | El hotel está enfrente del museo. — The hotel is across from the museum. |
detrás de | behind | El coche está detrás del edificio. — The car is behind the building. |
a la derecha de / a la izquierda de | to the right / to the left | El baño está a la derecha del ascensor. — The bathroom is to the right of the elevator. |
entre / en medio de | between / in the middle of | El banco está entre el bar y la farmacia. — The bank is between the bar and the pharmacy. |
al lado de / junto a | next to / beside | La farmacia está al lado del supermercado. — The pharmacy is next to the supermarket. |
dentro de / fuera de | inside / outside | El coche está fuera del garaje. — The car is outside the garage. |
alrededor de | around | Hay árboles alrededor de la plaza. — There are trees around the square. |
🗣️ Real-life Spanish: Lost in Madrid 😅
Imagine you just arrived in Madrid and you’re looking for your hotel.
👩🎓 Tourist: Perdón, ¿dónde está el Hotel Sol?(Excuse me, where is the Sol Hotel?)
👨🦰 Local: Mmm… está enfrente de la catedral, al lado del bar “El Gato Negro” y detrás de la tienda de souvenirs.(It’s across from the cathedral, next to “El Gato Negro” bar, and behind the souvenir shop.)
👩🎓 Tourist: ¿Y el metro?(And the metro station?)
👨🦰 Local: ¡Ah! Está debajo de la plaza. Camina hasta la esquina, está entre el banco y la farmacia.(It’s under the square. Walk to the corner — it’s between the bank and the pharmacy.)
👩🎓 Tourist: ¡Perfecto! ¿Y el museo?(Perfect! And the museum?)
👨🦰 Local: Está lejos de aquí, pero el autobús pasa por el centro.(It’s far from here, but the bus goes through downtown.)
💡 Notice how many prepositions appear naturally: enfrente de, al lado de, detrás de, debajo de, entre, lejos de, por — all in one short conversation!
🍻 Spanish Culture: The Famous toast '¡Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa’ dentro!'
If you ever go out for drinks in Spain, you’ll hear this classic toast — and it’s full of prepositions of place! 😄
👉 The ritual goes like this:
1️⃣ ¡Arriba! — raise your glass up 🍾
2️⃣ ¡Abajo! — move it down 🍻
3️⃣ ¡Al centro! — bring it to the center 🥂
4️⃣ ¡Pa’ dentro! — and drink it all! 😋
💬 Cultural note: 'Pa' is a colloquial abbreviation of 'para', common in Spain during casual moments.
So next time you raise your glass, remember — you’re secretly practicing Spanish prepositions! 🕺
🎯 Spanish Prepositions of Place Quiz 🇪🇸
Choose the correct answer for each question and test what you’ve learned!
💬 FAQ — Spanish Prepositions of Place
1️⃣ Why do we always use estar with these prepositions?
Because they describe location, not identity.
✅ Madrid está en España, not es en España.
Use estar for places, people, and objects — and ser only for events.🎉
La fiesta es en mi casa. — The party is at my house.
2️⃣ What’s the difference between encima de and sobre?
Both mean “on,” but in Spain, encima de sounds more natural in everyday speech.
El libro está encima de la mesa. — The book is on the table.
3️⃣ Do we always need de after the preposition?
Almost always yes — except after en, entre, and sobre.
debajo de la silla, detrás del coche, but en la mesa ✅
4️⃣ Can we use estar for events or parties?
No — for events, we use ser, not estar.
La reunión es en la oficina. — The meeting is at the office.
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