Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on Spanish verbs with prepositions.
Some verbs are usually followed by a preposition, forming a “team” to express an idea.
For example, the verb “pensar” means “to think”. And just like in English “to think” is usually followed by the preposition “about”, pensar is usually followed by en:
In this lesson we will review the most common verbs with prepositions and read example sentences. We will also learn how to make questions including these verbs.
You will also find a Quiz and Exercises to practice.
Contents
List of verbs with prepositions
The following table shows some of the most common verbs with prepositions:
| Verbs with "en" | |
|---|---|
| pensar en | to think about... |
| confiar en | to trust... |
| insistir en | to insist on... |
| convertirse en | to turn into... |
| quedar en | to agree to... |
| Verbs with "con" | |
| quedar con | to arrange to meet with... |
| quedarse con | to keep smth |
| contar con | to count on... |
| soñar con | to dream of... |
| amenazar con | to threaten smth |
| Verbs with "de" | |
| acordarse de | to remember... |
| dejar de | to stop doing smth |
| terminar de | to finish doing smth |
| cansarse de | to get tired of... |
| depender de | to depend on... |
| enterarse de | to hear about... |
| enamorarse de | to fall in love with... |
| morir de | to die of... |
| quejarse de | to complain about... |
| alegrarse de | to be happy about... |
| tratar de | to try to do smth |
| alejarse de | to move away from... |
| Verbs with "a" | |
| acercarse a | to approach / get closer to... |
| llamar a | to call someone |
| dedicarse a | to be dedicated to... |
| empezar a | to start doing smth |
| parecerse a | to look like... |
| jugar a | to play smth (games, sports) |
| Verbs with "por" | |
| disculparse por | to apologize for... |
| interesarse por | to be interested in... |
| optar por | to opt for... |
Let’s now read example sentences with each verb in the table.
Verbs with “en”
- pensar en… (to think about)
Marta piensa en su novio.
Marta thinks about her boyfriend.
- confiar en… (to trust someone or something)
Yo confío en ti.
I trust you.
- insistir en… (to insist on something)
Insisto en esa idea.
I insist on that idea.
- convertirse en… (to turn into something, to become something)
Cada noche, Roberto se convierte en lobo.
Every night, Roberto turns into a wolf.
- quedar en… (to agree to do something)
Hemos quedado en comprar una tele nueva.
We have agreed to buy a new TV.
Verbs with “con”
- quedar con… (to arrange to meet with someone)
Nosotros hemos quedado con nuestros amigos.
We’ve arranged to meet our friends.
- quedarse con… (to keep something)
Yo me quedo con este libro hasta la semana que viene.
I keep this book until next week.
- contar con… (to count on something or someone)
Contamos con vosotros.
We are counting on you guys.
- soñar con… (to dream of something)
Anoche soñé con mi antigua casa.
Last night I dreamed of my old house.
- amenazar con… (to threaten something)
El presidente amenaza con una nueva guerra.
The President threatens a new war.
Verbs with “de”
- acordarse de… (to remember something)
Yo me acuerdo de ti.
I remember you.
- dejar de… (to stop or quit doing something)
El año pasado dejé de fumar.
Last year I quit smoking.
- terminar de… (to finish doing something)
¿A qué hora terminas de trabajar?
What time do you finish work?
- cansarse de… (to get tired of something)
Nunca me canso de leer.
I never get tired of reading.
- depender de… (to depend on something)
El precio del pan depende del supermercado.
The price of bread depends on the supermarket.
- enterarse de… (to hear about something)
Me he enterado de algo increíble.
I’ve heard about something incredible.
- enamorarse de… (to fall in love with someone)
Yo me enamoré de mi compañera.
I fell in love with my colleague.
- morir de… (to die of something)
El hombre murió de hambre.
The man died of hunger.
- quejarse de... (to complain about something)
Voy a quejarme del servicio.
I’m going to complain about the service.
- alegrarse de… (to be happy / glad about something)
Me alegro de vivir en este país.
I’m glad I live in this country.
- tratar de… (to try to do something)
Ella trata de arrancar el coche.
She tries to start the car.
- alejarse de… (to move away from something)
Los coches se alejan de la casa.
The cars move away from the house.
Verbs with “a”
- acercarse a… (to approach / get closer to something)
La chica se acerca a su profesora.
The girl approaches her teacher.
- llamar a… (to call someone or something)
Ellos llaman a la farmacia.
They call the pharmacy.
- dedicarse a… (to be dedicated to)
Laura se dedica a la investigación médica.
Laura is dedicated to medical research.
- empezar a… (to begin / start to do something)
Los músicos empiezan a tocar.
The musicians begin to play.
- parecerse a… (to look like)
Ana se parece a su hermana.
Ana looks like her sister.
- jugar a… (to play something: games, sports… but NOT instruments)
Vamos a jugar a las cartas.
We are going to play cards.
Verbs with “por”
- disculparse por… (to apologize for something)
Me disculpo por mi comportamiento.
I apologize for my behavior.
- interesarse por… (to be interested in something)
Clara se interesa por la política.
Clara is interested in politics.
- optar por… (to opt for)
La estudiante ha optado por una carrera de ciencias.
The student has opted for a science degree.
Questions including these verbs
When we make a question including a verb with a preposition, and there is also a question word (qué, quién, etc…), the formula is:
Formula ➡️ ¿ preposition + question word + verb + ….. ?
Examples
¿En quién confías?
Who do you trust?
Confío en él.
I trust him.¿Con quién quedaste ayer?
With whom did you arrange to meet yesterday?
Quedé con mis amigos.
I arranged to meet with my friends.¿De qué te acuerdas?
What do you remember?
Me acuerdo de la playa.
I remember the beach.¿A qué jugáis hoy?
What are you guys playing today?
Jugamos a un juego de ordenador.
We are playing a computer game.¿Por qué te disculpas?
What do you apologize for?
Me disculpo por mi error.
I apologize for my mistake.
Practice
Quiz
Take this short Quiz about verbs with prepositions:
Exercise 1
Fill the gaps choosing between “en / con / de / a / por”. Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:
1) De día, yo pienso en ella.
During the day, I think of her2) Por la noche, sueño con ella.
At night, I dream of her.3) Nosotros contamos con Carlos para organizar la fiesta.
We count on Carlos to organize the party.4) Deja de preocuparte.
Stop worrying.5) Yo tengo que empezar a estudiar.
I have to start studying.6) ¿ De qué depende la decisión?
What does the decision depend on?
Exercise 2
More sentences! Again, fill the gaps choosing between “en / con / de / a / por”:
1) Ella confía en él.
She trusts him.
2) La niña sueña con una casa de chocolate.
The girl dreams of a chocolate house.
3) ¿Quieres jugar a las cartas?
Do you want to play cards?
4) No me intereso por sus problemas.
I’m not interested in his problems.
5) Ellos se cansan de trabajar.
They get tired of working.
6) ¿ De quién te enamoraste?
Who did you fall in love with?
Spanish Verb “gustar” – Learn and Practice
Spanish Reflexive Verbs – Learn and Practice
Spanish Past Participle – Learn and Practice
The verb “seguir” in Spanish – Learn and Practice
Saber vs. Conocer in Spanish – Learn and Practice
Spanish verbs for beginnings and endings: “empezar”, “terminar”…
[volver a + infinitive] in Spanish to express repetition
“estar a punto de…” in Spanish – Learn and Practice