Have you ever said something in Spanish like "Empecé aprender español" or "Sueño viajar por el mundo" and felt like a native speaker was giving you a slightly confused look?
If so, you've likely stumbled upon one of Spanish's little grammatical quirks: prepositional verbs.
These are verbs that just can't be alone. They need a little buddy, a preposition, to connect them to the rest of the sentence. Leaving it out is like showing up to a party without your best friend, it just feels wrong! If you want to master these complex verb structures, check out our guide on reflexive verbs and daily routines.
In English, we do this all the time. We "dream of" something, "rely on" someone, or "apologize for" our actions. Spanish is no different. The trick is learning which little "helper word" (a, con, de, en) goes with which verb.
Let's dive into the most common Spanish verbs that always need a preposition.
Verbs that Pair with a
The preposition a often indicates movement, direction, or the start of an action. Think of it as a bridge leading to the next part of your sentence.
Common Verbs + a
- Ayudar a - to help (to do something)
Mi hermano me ayuda ahelps to limpiar la casa. (My brother helps me to clean the house.)
- Empezar a - to begin/start to
Mañana voy a empezar aI'm going to start to estudiar para el examen. (Tomorrow I'm going to start to study for the exam.)
- Aprender a - to learn to
Estoy aprendiendo alearning to tocar la guitarra. (I'm learning to play the guitar.)
- Acercarse a - to get closer to / to approach
El gato se acercó agot close to la ventana con curiosidad. (The cat approached the window with curiosity.)
- Negarse a - to refuse to
El niño se niega arefuses to comer las verduras. (The child refuses to eat the vegetables.)
It's easy to forget the a when another verb follows. See the difference?
Drag the handle to compare
Verbs that Pair with con
The preposition con means "with," and it often implies interaction, connection, or accompaniment.
Common Verbs + con
- Soñar con - to dream of/about
Anoche soñé conI dreamed about mis próximas vacaciones. (Last night I dreamed about my next vacation.)
- Casarse con - to marry
Mi prima se va a casar conis getting married to su novio de la universidad. (My cousin is getting married to her university boyfriend.) If you are interested in vocabulary related to this topic, check out our guide on relationships and social bonds.
- Contar con - to count/rely on
Siempre puedes contar concount on tus amigos. (You can always count on your friends.)
- Encontrarse con - to meet up with / to run into
Me encontré conran into mi antiguo profesor en el supermercado. (I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket.)
Let's test your knowledge of soñar con.
Which preposition completes this sentence? 'Ella siempre sueña ___ viajar por Asia.'
Verbs that Pair with de
This is a big category! The preposition de can mean "of," "from," or "about," and it's used with many verbs related to memory, emotion, and topics.
Common Verbs + de
- Acordarse de - to remember
¿Te acuerdas deDo you remember nuestra primera clase de español? (Do you remember our first Spanish class?)
- Olvidarse de - to forget
¡No te olvides dedon't forget to llamar a tu abuela! (Don't forget to call your grandma!)
- Tratar de - to try to
Trato deI try to leer un poco cada día. (I try to read a little every day.)
- Enamorarse de - to fall in love with
Se enamoró dehe fell in love with la cultura española durante su viaje. (He fell in love with Spanish culture during his trip.)
- Dejar de - to stop (doing something)
Tienes que dejar destop comer tanto chocolate. (You have to stop eating so much chocolate.)
Recordar vs. Acordarse de
A common point of confusion is recordar vs. acordarse de. They both mean "to remember," but recordar doesn't need a preposition. For more advanced structures, check out our guide on collocations (verbs and nouns).
- No recuerdo su nombre.
- No me acuerdo de su nombre.
Both are correct and mean "I don't remember his name." Just remember
acordarsealways needs its buddyde!
Verbs that Pair with en
The preposition en often translates to "in," "on," or "at." With verbs, it usually directs the action or thought toward a specific object or topic.
Common Verbs + en
- Pensar en - to think about/of
Estoy pensando enthinking about qué cenar esta noche. (I'm thinking about what to have for dinner tonight.)
- Confiar en - to trust (in)
Puedes confiar entrust in mí, no diré nada. (You can trust me, I won't say anything.)
- Fijarse en - to notice / pay attention to
¿Te fijaste enDid you notice los zapatos que llevaba? (Did you notice the shoes she was wearing?)
- Insistir en - to insist on
Mi madre insiste eninsiste en que la llame todos los domingos. (My mother insists on me calling her every Sunday.)
Ready to build a sentence with pensar en? Unscramble this one!
Arrange the words to form a correct sentence:
A Final Word
Mastering these verb-preposition pairs is a huge step toward sounding more fluent and natural in Spanish. It might seem like a lot to memorize, but don't worry!
The more you read, listen, and speak, the more these pairings will become second nature. Start by focusing on the ones you use most often, and soon you'll be using them correctly without even thinking about it. ¡Buena suerte!