A2 · Prepositions
Positions: encima, debajo
They all take de — and without a noun the de drops.
At a glance
- Remember
- With a noun with de, without a noun without de.
- Form
- encima de la mesaon top of
- Signal words
- encima de
- debajo de
- al lado de
- cerca de
- enfrente de
- Trap
- Wrong:El hotel está al lado la estación.Right:El hotel está al lado de la estación.
Your turn
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Spanish.
| on top of | encima de la mesa |
| under | debajo de la cama |
| in front of / behind | delante de / detrás de la casa |
| next to | al lado del banco |
| opposite | enfrente de la iglesia |
| with no noun | Está aquí al lado. |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Before a noun there is always de.
Las llaves están encima de la mesa.The keys are on the table.
With no noun the de drops.
La farmacia está enfrente.The chemist's is opposite.
Before a pronoun the stressed form is used.
Se sentó detrás de mí.He sat down behind me.
de plus el becomes del here too.
Está debajo del sofá.It is under the sofa.
Example sentences
El gato está debajo de la mesa.The cat is under the table.
Vivo cerca del centro.I live near the centre.
Hay una farmacia al lado.There is a chemist's next door.
Dentro de la caja no había nada.There was nothing inside the box.
6 more example sentences
Aparcamos delante del edificio.We parked in front of the building.
El baño está a la derecha.The bathroom is on the right.
Se escondió detrás de la puerta.He hid behind the door.
Fuera de la ciudad hace más frío.It is colder outside the city.
Vivimos lejos de aquí.We live a long way from here.
Ponlo encima del armario.Put it on top of the wardrobe.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
The de gets left out, because English «next to the station» has only the one little word: al lado la estación. Before a noun the de is compulsory: al lado de la estación. Only with no noun does it drop.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Where en is too vague, compound expressions of place step in: encima de(on top of)debajo de(under)delante de(in front of)detrás de(behind)al lado de(next to)enfrente de(opposite)dentro de(inside)fuera de(outside)cerca de(near)lejos de(far from)
They all need de when a noun follows — and they all lose it when none does: El banco está al lado. English does the same with «next to the bank» against «next door».
Before a pronoun the stressed form is used: detrás de mí, al lado de ti. And with the article el the de contracts as always: encima del armario.
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