Prepositions And Conjunctions

• Position Prepositions
• Direction Prepositions
• Location Prepositions
• Time Prepositions
• Conjunctions

Position Prepositions

The following prepositions are used to indicate position. To help you learn the meaning of each preposition, the images below show the position of the red ball (or bar) in relation to the blue box. (Example: The red ball is above the blue box.) Scroll down for more example sentences and position preposition exercises.

Ejemplos:

Preposition	Example Sentence
above por encima de	The red ball is above the blue box.
across a través de	The red bar is lying across the blue boxes.
against en contra	The red bar is lying against the blue box.
among entre (tres o más)	The red ball is among the blue boxes.
around alrededor	The red balls are around the blue box.
behind detrás de	The red ball is behind the blue box.
below debajo de	The red ball is below the blue box.
beneath debajo de	The red ball is beneath the blue box.
beside junto a	The red ball is beside the blue box.
between entre (dos o más)	The red ball is between the blue boxes.
by por, junto a	The red ball is by the blue box.
in en, dentro de	The red ball is in the blue box.
in front of en frente de	The red ball is in front of the blue box.
inside dentro	The red ball is inside the blue box.
near cerca de	The red ball is near the blue box.
next to junto a	The red ball is next to the blue box.
on en, sobre	The red ball is on the blue box.
outside afuera	The red ball is outside the blue box.
over por encima de, al otro lado	The red ball is over the blue box.
through a través de	The red bar is running through the blue box.
under por debajo de	The red ball is under the blue box.
underneath debajo	The red ball is underneath the blue box.

Direction Prepositions

The following prepositions are used to indicate direction. Direction prepositions are special because they show some type of movement. The images below demonstrate the direction of the red ball in relation to the blue object. (Example: The red ball is rolling away from the blue box.) Scroll down for example sentences, usage notes, and direction preposition exercises.

Ejemplos:

Preposition	Example Sentence
across a través de	The red ball bounced across the blue line
against contra	The red ball rolled against the blue box.
along a lo largo	The red ball is rolling along the blue line.
around alrededor	The red ball is rolling around the blue box.
away from lejos de	The red ball is rolling away from the blue box.
down abajo	The red ball is rolling down the blue stairs.
from desde	The red ball is coming from the blue box.
into en	The red ball is bouncing into the blue box.
off of fuera de	The red ball is rolling off of the blue box.
onto sobre	The red ball is bouncing onto the blue box.
out of fuera de	The red ball is bouncing out of the blue box.
over sobre	The red ball is bouncing over the blue box.
through a través de	The red ball is rolling through the hole in the blue box.
to a	The red ball is rolling to the blue box.
toward(s) hacia	The red ball is rolling towards the blue box.
under bajo	The red ball is rolling under the blue box.
up hasta	The red ball is rolling up the blue stairs.

In the pictures above, you will notice that some prepositions are followed by an optional from, to or of. If you want to use these prepositions with a location object, you have to use the optional from, to or of. If there is no location object, you do not need to use the optional from, to or of.

Sherry walked into the house. has object "the house"	Sherry entró en la casa
Sherry walked in. no object	Sherry entró
Katie jumped out of the boat. has object "boat"	Katie saltó del bote
Katie jumped out. no object	Katie saltó
He walked away from me. has object "me"	Se alejo de mi
He walked away. no object	Él se marchó

Location Prepositions

The prepositions of location at, in, on and aboard are a bit more complicated than basic position prepositions. Location prepositions are associated with specific types of locations, which must be memorized.

Sometimes, the location prepositions are logical. For example, in a house makes sense because you are physically standing inside the house. Other location prepositions are less logical. For example, on a bus means inside the bus rather than standing on top of the bus. Here is a list of location prepositions and the types of locations they are associated with. Scroll down for example sentences, usage notes, and location preposition exercises.

Preposition	Locations
at	specific locations, addresses, companies, stores, events, parties, desks, counters
in	enclosed spaces, buildings, organizations, regions, water, deserts, mountain ranges, forests, cities, countries, continents, the sky, space, cars, groups of people,
on	surfaces, roads, corners, shores, single mountains, islands, planets, public transportation, bikes, big boats, stairs, balconies, walkways
aboard	boats, planes, trains

To help you understand the types of locations listed above, here are some real-life examples of at, in and on to get you started. There is a discussion of aboard further down the page.

At	In	On
at work	in class	on the floor
at home	in college	on the ground
at the bank	in the hospital	on the freeway
at the beach	in my car	on the lawn
at 123 Main Street	in a taxi	on the subway
at IKEA	in a canoe	on the Titanic
at the party	in the sky	on the plane
at the bus stop	in the universe	on Mount Everest
at the ticket counter	in the army	on the stairs
at my desk	in the Rocky Mountains	on Mars
at the dinner table	in the Pacific	on the shore
at the exit	in the crowd	on the sidewalk
at the supermarket	in the theater	on the balcony
at the wedding	in China	on Catalina Island
at the post office	in Africa	on his motorcycle

Time Prepositions

There are two types of time prepositions in English. First, we will take a look at the basic time prepositions at, in, and on. Secondly, we will cover the functional time prepositions after, before, by, during, for, from, in, to and until/till.

The prepositions at, in and on are associated with specific time categories, which must be memorized. For example, we say "at 5 PM on Sunday in June" because English speakers use at with clock times, on with days, and in with months. Study the categories and the examples below.

Preposición	Usos	Ejemplo
at	Puntos específicos en el tiempo, horas del día, festividades.	The meeting is at 3 p.m.
in	Meses, años, estaciones, partes del día, periodos más largos.	She was born in May.
on	Días de la semana, fechas específicas, días festivos.	We'll meet on Monday.
by	Antes de una hora o fecha límite.	Please submit your report by Friday.
for	Duración de tiempo.	He has been working here for five years.
since	Punto de inicio en el tiempo.	She has been studying English since 2010.
during	Periodo específico dentro de otro más grande.	It rained during the night.
ago	Indica un periodo de tiempo en el pasado desde el presente.	She left two hours ago.
until/till	Hasta un momento específico.	We'll wait here until you arrive.
from...to	Indica un rango de tiempo.	The store is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
within	Indica un periodo de tiempo límite.	Please finish the task within an hour.

Conjunctions

La conjunción se utiliza básicamente para enlazar dos oraciones. También puede enlazar frases o palabras dentro de una oración.

Gramaticalmente, las conjunciones se dividen en coordinantes y subordinantes (dependiendo que coordinen o subordinen dos palabras u oraciones). De igual forma, tanto las conjunciones coordinantes como las subordinantes se subdividen a su vez gramaticalmente. No obstante, vamos a hacer un estudio de las mismas menos teorizante y vamos a ver en detalle las conjunciones y locuciones conjuntivas que por su importancia o dificultad merecen una atención especial.

Conjunción	Tipo	Uso	Ejemplo
accordingly	Adverbio	En consecuencia.	He followed the instructions, and accordingly, he succeeded.
Apart from	Preposición	Indica algo adicional o excluyente de lo mencionado.	Apart from English, she speaks French fluently.
after	Subordinada temporal	Secuencia temporal.	We'll have dinner after the movie.
albeit	Conjunción concesiva	Aunque.	He is talented, albeit inexperienced.
although	Subordinada condicional	Cláusula de contraste o condición inesperada.	Although it was raining, we went for a walk.
and	Coordinada copulativa	Unión de ideas similares.	She likes to read novels and watch movies.
as	Subordinada comparativa y causal	Causa, tiempo o comparación.	She cried as if her heart were breaking.
as if	Subordinada comparativa	Como si.	She looked at me as if I had said something wrong.
as long as	Subordinada condicional	Mientras.	You can stay as long as you want.
as soon as	Subordinada temporal	Tan pronto como.	I'll call you as soon as I arrive.
As well as	Coordinada aditiva	Indica una adición de información similar o relacionada.	She speaks Spanish as well as Portuguese.
because	Subordinada causal	Introduce una razón o causa.	She stayed home because she wasn't feeling well.
before	Subordinada temporal	Prioridad temporal.	Please finish your homework before going out.
besides	Conjunción aditiva	Además.	She is talented, and besides, she is creative.
but	Coordinada adversativa	Contraste o contradicción.	He is tired, but he wants to finish the project.
Both... and	Coordinada copulativa	Combina dos elementos que son verdaderos o aplicables.	He is both smart and hardworking.
consequently	Adverbio	En consecuencia.	The prices rose; consequently, sales decreased.
despite	Preposición + sustantivo	A pesar de.	He played well despite being injured.
during	Subordinada temporal	Durante.	I fell asleep during the movie.
even if	Conjunción condicional	Aunque.	I will come, even if it rains.
even though	Subordinada condicional	Aunque.	He went out, even though it was raining.
for	Coordinada explicativa	Causa o razón. Finalidad.	She went to the store, for she needed groceries.
furthermore	Conjunción aditiva	Además.	The house is beautiful; furthermore, it has a great view.
hence	Adverbio	Por lo tanto.	It's raining; hence, the picnic is canceled.
henceforth	Adverbio	De ahora en adelante.	Henceforth, we will meet every Monday.
how	Subordinada de manera	Cláusula de manera o método.	She told me how to solve the problem.
however	Adverbio	Sin embargo.	It's hot; however, I want to go for a run.
if	Subordinada condicional	Introduce una condición o hipótesis.	If it rains, we will stay indoors.
in addition	Conjunción aditiva	Además.	I bought a new dress, in addition, I got new shoes.
in case	Conjunción condicional	En caso de que.	Take an umbrella in case it rains.
in order that	Subordinada final	Con el fin de que.	He worked hard in order that he could succeed.
in order to	Conjunción final	Con el fin de que.	She worked hard in order to succeed.
instead	Preposición + sustantivo	En lugar de.	She chose tea instead of coffee.
lest	Conjunción condicional	Para evitar que.	Walk quietly lest you wake the baby.
like	Preposición	Como.	She sings like an angel.
Likewise	Adverbio	Indica una similitud con lo mencionado previamente.	She enjoys hiking, and her brother does likewise.
moreover	Conjunción aditiva	Además.	He is talented; moreover, he is hardworking.
nevertheless	Conjunción adversativa	No obstante.	The weather is bad; nevertheless we will go camping.
nonetheless	Conjunción adversativa	A pesar de eso.	It's raining, but she wants to go for a walk nonetheless.
nor	Coordinada adversativa	Negación de las opciones presentadas.	Neither Tom nor Jane came to the party.
Not only... but also	Coordinada copulativa	Introduce dos elementos, resaltando que ambos son verdaderos o aplicables.	She is not only intelligent but also creative.
Not to mention	Adverbio	Introduce información que podría haberse pasado por alto.	She has a master's degree, not to mention extensive work experience.
notwithstanding	Conjunción adversativa	No obstante.	He went out, notwithstanding the bad weather.
now that	Subordinada causal	Ahora que.	Now that it's dark, turn on the lights.
on the contrary	Adverbio	Por el contrario.	She's not upset; on the contrary, she's happy.
on the other hand	Adverbio	Por otro lado.	It's expensive, on the other hand, it's high quality.
On top of that	Coordinada aditiva	Introduce información adicional o resalta algo más.	She has a full-time job, and on top of that, she runs her own business.
once	Subordinada temporal	Una vez que.	Once you finish your work, you can go home.
or	Coordinada disyuntiva	Opciones o alternativas.	Would you like tea or coffee?
or else	Conjunción condicional	O de lo contrario.	Finish your work, or else you can't go out.
otherwise	Adverbio	De lo contrario.	Finish your homework; otherwise, you can't go out.
otherwise	Conjunción condicional	De lo contrario.	Study hard; otherwise, you may fail the exam.
provided	Conjunción condicional	Siempre que.	You can use my laptop, provided you return it by tomorrow.
provided that	Subordinada condicional	Siempre que.	You can borrow my car provided that you return it by tomorrow.
rather than	Conjunción de preferencia	Más bien que.	I prefer tea rather than coffee.
since	Subordinada temporal y causal	Indica tiempo o causa.	They've been friends since childhood.
so	Coordinada consecutiva	Expresa consecuencia o resultado.	It was raining, so we stayed indoors.
so that	Subordinada final	Para que, con el fin de que.	She studied hard so that she could pass the exam.
so that	Subordinada final	Para que, con el fin de que.	She studied hard so that she could pass the exam.
supposing	Conjunción condicional	Suponiendo que.	Supposing it rains, what will you do?
than	Conjunción comparativa	Se utiliza para comparar dos elementos.	He is taller than his brother.
that	Subordinada causal	Que, para que.	He worked hard that he might succeed.
that	Subordinada sustantiva	Introduce una cláusula subordinada.	She said that she would come to the party.
therefore	Adverbio	Por lo tanto.	He didn't study; therefore he failed the exam.
therefore	Conjunción de conclusión	Conclusión o resultado.	He forgot his umbrella; therefore he got wet in the rain.
though	Conjunción concesiva	Aunque.	It's hot, go outside though it's sunny.
thus	Adverbio	Así, de esta manera.	The team worked hard, thus achieving success.
unless	Subordinada condicional	Similar a "if not", introduce una condición negativa.	You can go outside, unless it's raining.
until	Subordinada temporal	Indica un período de tiempo que debe transcurrir antes de que ocurra algo.	I'll wait here until you come back.
when	Subordinada temporal y condicional	Cuando.	I was happy when I heard the good news.
whenever	Subordinada temporal	Siempre que.	You can call me whenever you need help.
where	Subordinada de lugar	Introduce una cláusula de lugar.	This is the city where I was born.
whether	Subordinada condicional	Elección o duda entre dos opciones.	I don't know whether to laugh or cry.
while	Subordinada temporal y condicional	A pesar de que o durante el tiempo que.	She cooked dinner, while he set the table.
without	Conjunción condicional	Sin.	You can't leave without finishing your homework.
yet	Coordinada adversativa	Se utiliza para expresar contraste o añadir una idea inesperada.	He is busy, yet he found time to help.