Prepositions part 3 (POR Y ¨PARA)

The distinction between "por" and "para" is often difficult for Spanish learners, as both prepositions can translate to "for" in English. However, they have distinct meanings and uses in Spanish.

"Por" is a very versatile preposition that can have several meanings, including:

1. Cause or reason: Used to indicate the cause or reason for an action. In this sense, "por" is often used with verbs such as "llorar por" (to cry for), "gritar por" (to shout for), or "pedir por" (to ask for).

Example: Lloro por mi abuela porque la extraño mucho. (I cry for my grandmother because I miss her a lot.)

2. Duration of time: Used to indicate the length of time something lasts.

Example: Estuve en la playa por una semana. (I was at the beach for a week.)

3. In exchange for: Used to indicate a trade or exchange.

Example: Pagué 20 euros por esa camisa. (I paid 20 euros for that shirt.)

4. Means of transportation or communication: Used to indicate how something is transported or communicated.

Example: Viajaré por avión. (I will travel by plane.)

5. General location: Used to indicate a general area or location.

Example: Vivo por el centro de la ciudad. (I live in the center of the city.)

On the other hand, "para" is generally used to indicate purpose or destination. Some common uses of "para" include:

1. Destination: Used to indicate a specific destination.

Example: Salimos para Madrid mañana. (We leave for Madrid tomorrow.)

2. Purpose: Used to indicate the purpose or intended use of something.

Example: Esta herramienta es para cortar el césped. (This tool is for cutting grass.)

3. Deadline or due date: Used to indicate a deadline or due date.

Example: Necesito el informe para el lunes. (I need the report by Monday.)

4.Comparison: Used to indicate a comparison.

Example: Para su edad, habla muy bien español. (For his age, he speaks Spanish very well.)

It is important to note that while there are some general rules for when to use "por" and "para", there are also many idiomatic expressions and exceptions that must be learned through practice and exposure to the language.

I hope this helps clarify the difference between "por" and "para" in Spanish!

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Spanish Fundamentals 1 Panfleto – 31 mayo 2010

Prepositions part 2 (De, hasta)

DE

The preposition "de" is one of the most commonly used prepositions in Spanish, and it has a wide range of uses. 

Here are some of the most common uses of "de":

1. Possession: "De" is often used to indicate possession or ownership, similar to the English preposition "of". For example:

La casa de Juan (Juan's house)

El libro de Maria (Maria's book)

2. Origin: "De" can indicate where something or someone is from. For example:

Soy de España (I'm from Spain)

El vino de Chile (The wine from Chile)

3. Material: "De" can also indicate the material from which something is made. For example:

La mesa es de madera (The table is made of wood)

Los zapatos son de cuero (The shoes are made of leather)

4. Time: "De" can indicate a specific time period. For example:

De lunes a viernes (From Monday to Friday)

De noche (At night)

5. Purpose:  "De" can also be used to indicate purpose in certain constructions. Here are some examples of how "de" can be used to indicate purpose:

Este libro es de estudio. (This book is for studying.)

Necesito una taza de café. (I need a cup for coffee.)

El vestido es de fiesta. (The dress is for parties.)

La música es de baile. (The music is for dancing.)

In these examples, "de" is used to connect the noun describing the purpose with the object or action it is intended for. As mentioned before, the use of "de" to indicate purpose is not always required, and it can depend on the context and the specific construction of the sentence.

6. Comparison: "De" is commonly used to introduce the second element of the comparison, as in "más/menos + adjective + de + noun" or "tan + adjective + como + noun".

For example:

Él es más alto de lo que parece. (He is taller than he looks.)

El coche es más caro de lo que esperaba. (The car is more expensive than I expected.)

Hasta

"Hasta" is a preposition in Spanish that can be used in several different ways. Here are some of the most common uses of "hasta":

1. Time: "Hasta" can be used to indicate a specific time when something will occur or end. For example:

Voy a trabajar hasta las seis de la tarde. (I'm going to work until six in the evening.)

La fiesta va a durar hasta la medianoche. (The party is going to last until midnight.)

2. Distance: "Hasta" can be used to indicate a distance or a point in space. For example:

Caminé hasta la esquina. (I walked to the corner.)

El río corre hasta el mar. (The river flows to the sea.)

3. Limit: "Hasta" can be used to indicate a limit or a maximum amount. For example:

No puedo gastar más dinero, solo hasta cincuenta dólares. (I can't spend more money, I have only up to fifty dollars.)

Puedes tomar hasta dos cervezas. (You can have up to two beers.)

4. Inclusion: "Hasta" can be used to indicate that something is included. For example:

Todos, hasta el más pequeño, deben llevar un chaleco salvavidas. (Everyone, even the smallest one, must wear a life jacket.)

El evento es gratuito y abierto hasta para el público. (The event is free and open to the public.)

5. Even: "Hasta" can also be used to emphasize something that is unexpected or surprising. For example:

Hasta mi abuela sabe usar el celular. (Even my grandmother knows how to use a cellphone.)

Hasta el presidente lo admitió. (Even the president admitted it.)

These are just a few examples of how "hasta" can be used in Spanish. Remember that the use of "hasta" can vary depending on the context, so it's always a good idea to practice and learn through exposure to the language.

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Spanish Grammar (Quick Study) Cartas – 31 diciembre 2012

The prepositions part 1

How can I use prepositions in Spanish?

Prepositions are an essential part of any language, including Spanish. They are used to indicate the relationship between different elements in a sentence, such as the relationship between nouns or between a verb and its object. Here are some basic guidelines for using prepositions in Spanish:

Prepositions usually come before a noun or pronoun, and they can indicate location, time, direction, or manner. For example:

Yo vivo en una casa. (I live in a house.)

Vamos al cine. (Let's go to the movies.)

Ella trabaja por las tardes. (She works in the afternoons.)

Yo hablo con mi amigo. (I talk with my friend.)

Some prepositions can be combined with articles or pronouns to form contractions. For example:

a + el = al (to the)

de + el = del (of the)

en + el = en el (in the)

a + ella = ella (to her)

de + ellos = ellos (of them)

Prepositions can also be used to link clauses in a sentence. For example:

Antes de que llegue la cena, vamos a preparar la mesa. (Before dinner arrives, we're going to set the table.)

Some prepositions have multiple meanings, depending on the context. For example:

Por can mean "for," "by," "through," "because of," and more.

Para can mean "for," "in order to," "to," and more.

It's important to note that prepositions in Spanish can sometimes be tricky to master, as their use can vary depending on regional dialects and idiomatic expressions. However, with practice and exposure to the language, you'll become more comfortable with using prepositions in Spanish.

List of the most common prepositions in Spanish:

a - to, at

ante - before

bajo - under, below

cabe - near, by

con - with

contra - against

de - of, from

desde - since, from

durante - during

en - in, on, at

entre - between, among

hacia - towards, to

hasta - until, up to

mediante - by means of

para - for, in order to

por - by, for, through

según - according to

sin - without

sobre - on, about

tras - after, behind

There are also some compound prepositions that are formed by combining a preposition with a pronoun or adverb, such as "conmigo" (with me), "para ti" (for you), and "desde allí" (from there).

Keep in mind that prepositions can have multiple meanings and can be used in a variety of ways depending on the context, so it's important to practice and learn through exposure to the language.

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Los sustantivos y sus artículos (Nouns & articles)

In Spanish , all nouns has a gender masculine or femenine:

1. Most nouns that end in  O are masculine.

El libro        El vaso        El cielo

2. Nouns that refer to males are masculine

El hijo    El padre    EL toro    El doctor  El rey

3. Most nouns that end in A or that refer to female  are femenine

La silla    La sílaba        La taza        La hija    La madre    La mujer    La reina

4. Most nouns that end in E or consonant don´t follow a rule. They have to be memorized.

Masculine

el papel        el examen    el disfraz    el alfiler    el cine

Femenine

la clase    la llave    la piel        la gente    la luz

5. Exceptions

Masculine

el día     el mediodía        el problema    el mapa    el idioma    el programa    el planeta

el sistema    el clima    el poema

Femenine

La mano    la radio    la foto    la moto

6. Usuallly are masculines nouns that end in -aje, -ambre, - or, -án or a stressed vowel.

el equipaje    el amor    el refrán    el valor    el paisaje    el rubí

7. Masculine are the days of the week, the months of the year, compound nouns, the colours, the names of rivers, seas, and oceans, foreing words

And more...

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Common mistakes in translation from english to spanish

Adjetivos

In English	En español	*Error común
embarrassed	(estar) avergonzado/a	*embarazado/a
exciting, excited	emocionante, emocionado(a)	*excitante, excitado
conservative	conservador/a	*conservativo/a
incredible	increíble	*incredible
mandatory	obligatoria/o	*mandatorio/a
ridiculous	ridículo/a	*ridiculoso/a
serious	serio/a	*serioso/a

Adverbios y frases adverbiales

In English	En español	*Error común
fluently	fluidamente / con soltura	*fluentemente
clearly and rapidly	clara y rápidamente	*claramente y rápidamente
obviously	obviamente	*obviosamente

Sustantivos

In English	En español	*Error común
adventure	la aventura	*adventura
air	el aire	*la aire
content	el contenido	*el contento
embarrassment	la pena / la vergüenza	*el embarazo
intermission	el intermedio	*intermisión
memories	los recuerdos	*las memorias
morals	la moral	*morals
moral (of a story)	la moraleja	*la moral
pollution	la contaminación	*la polución
population	la población	*populación
pressure	la presión	*la presura
problem	el problema	*la problema
result	el resultado	*el resulto
scientist	el científico/la científica	*cientista
the States	los Estados Unidos	*los Estados
subject	el tema / la materia	*el subjeto
the story	el cuento	*la cuenta (the check [in a restaurant])
support	el apoyo	*el soporte
system	el sistema	*la sistema
tense (verb)	el tiempo	*el tenso
theme	el tema	*la tema
water	el agua (¡ojo!: el agua limpia; las aguas)	*la agua

Verbos

In English	En español	*Error común
to apply	solicitar	*aplicar (admisión)
to attempt	intentar, tratar de	*atemptar
to experience	experimentar	*experienzar
to improve	mejorar	*improvar
to introduce	presentar (a alguien)	*introducir
to involve	involucrar	*involver
to make a decision	tomar una decisión	*hacer una decisión
to move	mudarse	*moverse
to notice	notar	*notizar
to realize	darse cuenta de	*realizarse
to remove	quitar	*remover
to respect	respetar	*respectar
to translate	traducir	*transladar

Expresiones

In English	En español	*Error común
All of my friends	todos mis amigos	*todos de mis amigos
Another thing	otra cosa	*una otra cosa
Can I have your book?	¿me prestas tu libro?	*¿puedo tener tu libro?
Change his/her mind	cambió de opinión	*cambió su mente
Every other day	cada dos días, un día sí y un día no	*cada otro día
Have a good time	que te diviertas	*ten un buen tiempo
I like this play better	esta obra me gusta más	*esta obra me gusta mejor
Instead of...	en vez de + inf.	*en vez de + gerund
Is it okay with you if...?	¿te parece bien si...?	*¿está bien contigo si...?
Like that	así	*como así
Many times	muchas veces	*muchos tiempos
Most of the people	la mayoría de la gente	*más de la gente
Not have any thing to do with...	no tiene nada que ver con ...	*no tiene nada que hacer con...
No problem	no hay problema	*no problema
On the other hand	por otro lado/ por otra parte	*en la otra mano
This is what I think	esto es lo que pienso	*esto es que pienso
To continue...	continúa O sigue + gerund	*continúa O sigue + infinitve
What happens is that...	lo que sucede es que...	*que sucede es que...

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