Prepositions of Place in Spanish — Complete Guide with Examples

Last Updated on June 22, 2026 by I Love Spanish Club

Knowing how to describe where things are is one of the most practical skills in any language. In Spanish, prepositions of place tell you whether something is on top, underneath, next to, behind, or inside something else. This complete guide covers all the essential Spanish prepositions of place with clear examples, bilingual dialogues, and practice exercises. ¡Empecemos! (Let’s begin!)

📍 What Are Prepositions of Place?

Prepositions of place describe the location of a person or object in relation to something else. In Spanish, they almost always work together with the verb ESTAR (to be) — because location is a temporary state.

Key formula: Subject + ESTAR (conjugated) + preposition of place + noun

El libro está encima de la mesa. — The book is on top of the table.
El gato está debajo de la silla. — The cat is under the chair.

💡 Remember: Use ESTAR (not SER) for location. El banco está cerca de aquí ✅ — never El banco es cerca de aquí ❌

📋 Complete List — Prepositions of Place in Spanish

Spanish	English	Example	Translation
en	in / on / at	El libro está en la mesa.	The book is on the table.
encima de	on top of	El gato está encima del sofá.	The cat is on top of the sofa.
debajo de	under / underneath	La mochila está debajo de la silla.	The backpack is under the chair.
al lado de	next to / beside	El perro está al lado de la puerta.	The dog is next to the door.
cerca de	near / close to	La farmacia está cerca de aquí.	The pharmacy is near here.
lejos de	far from	La escuela está lejos de mi casa.	The school is far from my house.
delante de	in front of	El coche está delante de la casa.	The car is in front of the house.
detrás de	behind	El gato está detrás de la cortina.	The cat is behind the curtain.
entre	between	La silla está entre la mesa y la pared.	The chair is between the table and the wall.
dentro de	inside	La ropa está dentro de la maleta.	The clothes are inside the suitcase.
fuera de	outside	El niño está fuera de la casa.	The child is outside the house.
frente a	facing / opposite	El banco está frente al parque.	The bank is opposite the park.
a la derecha de	to the right of	La cocina está a la derecha del baño.	The kitchen is to the right of the bathroom.
a la izquierda de	to the left of	El dormitorio está a la izquierda.	The bedroom is to the left.
enfrente de	in front of / across from	La parada está enfrente del hotel.	The stop is across from the hotel.
junto a	right next to / alongside	El hospital está junto a la iglesia.	The hospital is right next to the church.

🔤 EN vs ENCIMA DE — What’s the Difference?

One of the most common points of confusion is when to use en vs encima de. Both can translate as “on” in English, but they’re used differently:

Expression	When to use	Example
en	General location — on, in, at	El libro está en la mesa. (on the table — general)
encima de	Specifically on top of, above the surface	El gato está encima de la mesa. (literally on top)

💡 In everyday speech, en is much more common. Encima de emphasizes the idea of being physically on top of something.

📐 The “de + el = del” Contraction

When prepositions of place are followed by el (masculine singular article), they contract into del:

Preposition + el	Contracted form	Example
encima de + el	encima del	encima del sofá
debajo de + el	debajo del	debajo del árbol
al lado de + el	al lado del	al lado del banco
delante de + el	delante del	delante del colegio
detrás de + el	detrás del	detrás del edificio

⚠️ Important: This contraction only happens with el (masculine article), NOT with él (he/him pronoun).
al lado del parque ✅ — next to the park
al lado de la tienda ✅ — next to the store (la = feminine, no contraction)

💬 Real Conversation 1 — Describing a Room

📍 Two roommates setting up their apartment

Laura: ¿Dónde ponemos el sofá?
Where do we put the sofa?

Marco: Ponlo delante de la televisión, y la mesita al lado del sofá.
Put it in front of the TV, and the coffee table next to the sofa.

Laura: ¿Y la lámpara?
And the lamp?

Marco: La lámpara va encima de la mesita, entre el sofá y la ventana.
The lamp goes on top of the coffee table, between the sofa and the window.

Laura: ¡Perfecto! ¿Y los libros?
Perfect! And the books?

Marco: En la estantería, que está detrás de la puerta.
On the bookshelf, which is behind the door.

💬 Real Conversation 2 — Asking for Directions

📍 Tourist asking for help in the city

Tourist: Disculpe, ¿dónde está el museo?
Excuse me, where is the museum?

Local: Está cerca de aquí. Siga recto y el museo está justo enfrente del parque, al lado del banco.
It’s near here. Go straight and the museum is right across from the park, next to the bank.

Tourist: ¿Y el restaurante “La Paloma”?
And the restaurant “La Paloma”?

Local: Está un poco lejos de aquí — está detrás de la catedral, entre la farmacia y la librería.
It’s a bit far from here — it’s behind the cathedral, between the pharmacy and the bookstore.

Tourist: Muchas gracias, muy amable.
Thank you very much, very kind.

If you want to practice describing locations and giving directions in real conversations, working with a native tutor on Italki is one of the most effective ways to make these expressions automatic.

🏠 Prepositions of Place — In the Home

Spanish	English
El televisor está en la sala.	The TV is in the living room.
Las llaves están encima de la mesa.	The keys are on top of the table.
El gato duerme debajo de la cama.	The cat sleeps under the bed.
La ropa está dentro del armario.	The clothes are inside the wardrobe.
Los zapatos están fuera de la habitación.	The shoes are outside the room.
El baño está al lado del dormitorio.	The bathroom is next to the bedroom.
La cocina está detrás del comedor.	The kitchen is behind the dining room.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using SER instead of ESTAR for location
✅ El banco está cerca de aquí — location always uses ESTAR.

❌ Forgetting the contraction DEL
✅ detrás del edificio — not “detrás de el edificio”.

❌ Confusing DELANTE DE and ENFRENTE DE
✅ Both mean “in front of” but enfrente de implies being directly facing/across from something. delante de is more general.

❌ Confusing DENTRO DE and EN
✅ en la caja = in the box (general). dentro de la caja = inside the box (emphasis on being enclosed inside).

❌ “entre de” — adding DE after ENTRE
✅ entre la mesa y la silla — ENTRE never takes DE after it.

🎯 Quiz: Prepositions of Place

Fill in the blank with the correct preposition:

El gato está ___ la cama. (under)
La farmacia está ___ el banco y la iglesia. (between)
Mis llaves están ___ la mesa. (on top of)
El parque está ___ mi casa. (far from)
El baño está ___ del dormitorio. (to the right)
La tienda está ___ aquí. (near)
El niño está ___ la casa. (outside)
El hotel está ___ la estación. (in front of / facing)

👁️ Show Answers

debajo de la cama
entre el banco y la iglesia
encima de la mesa
lejos de mi casa
a la derecha del dormitorio
cerca de aquí
fuera de la casa
enfrente de / frente a la estación

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between “en” and “dentro de”?

En is the general all-purpose preposition for location — it can mean in, on, or at depending on context. Dentro de specifically emphasizes being enclosed inside something, like inside a box, inside a building, or inside a container. In everyday speech, en is much more common: está en la caja (it’s in the box) works perfectly fine for most situations.

Why do some prepositions of place use “de” and others don’t?

Prepositions like encima de, debajo de, al lado de, cerca de, lejos de, delante de, detrás de, dentro de, fuera de are actually prepositional phrases — they combine a preposition with de to create a specific meaning. Simple prepositions like en, entre don’t need de. The key is to memorize them as fixed expressions rather than thinking about the grammar behind each one.

What’s the best way to practice prepositions of place in Spanish?

The most effective method is to describe your immediate environment out loud. Look around the room you’re in right now and describe where things are: el ordenador está encima de la mesa, la silla está delante del escritorio, la ventana está a la derecha de la puerta. Do this for 5 minutes a day and you’ll have these prepositions memorized within a week. Watching Spanish shows on LingoPie also exposes you to these expressions naturally in real conversations.