Common Verb+Preposition Pairs in Spanish

Quick Answer

Many verbs in Spanish are commonly paired with a preposition. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most common verb and preposition pairs in Spanish!

Questions This Article Answers

What is a preposition?

What preposition is used after depender?

What preposition is used after acordarse?

What preposition is used after coincidir?

Do you say enamorarse con or enamorarse de?

woman working on a laptop

What’s a Preposition?

Remember that preposiciones(prepositions) are used to indicate a relationship between two words or phrases, linking them together. They are often used to indicate relationships of location, direction, or time.

Do you need to practice your verbs and prepositions? Check out these vocabulary lists and put yourself to the test!

Let’s take a look at some of the most common verb and preposition pairs in Spanish! Please note that many of these words have more than one translation!

SpanishEnglishExampleTranslation
abogar porto advocate forAbogamos por un aumento salarial.We advocated for a raise.
acabar dejustAcabo de terminar.I just finished.
acceder ato accessAccede a tu cuenta.Access your account.
acercarse ato approachNo te acerques a la máquina.Don’t approach the machine.
acordarse deto remember to¿Te acordaste de apagar la luz?Did you remember to turn off the lights?
alegrarse deto be happyMe alegro de que hayas aprobado.I’m happy you passed.
arrepentirse deto regretSe arrepiente de haber comido eso.He regrets having eaten that.
asistir ato attend¿Asististe a la reunión?Did you attend the meeting?
ayudar ato helpAyúdale a tu madre.Help your mom.
bastar conto be enoughBasta con firmar aquí.It’s enough to sign here.
burlarse deto mockSe burlaron del niño.They mocked the little boy.
cansarse deto get tired ofMe cansé de esperar.I got tired of waiting.
caracterizarse porto be characterized bySe caracteriza por su sentido de humor.He’s characterized by his sense of humor.
carecer deto lackCarecemos de tiempo.We lack time.
casarse conto marrySe casó con su mejor amiga.She married her best friend.
coincidir conto run intoCoincidí con tu profesor en el supermercado.I ran into your teacher at the grocery store.
colaborar conto collaborate withColaboramos con una ONG.We collaborate with an NGO.
comenzar conto start withComenzamos con el número 75.We’re starting with the number 75.
confiar ento trust¿Confías en tu amiga?Do you trust your friend?
conformarse conto be satisfied with¿Te conformas con tu sueldo?Are you satisfied with your salary?
conocer ato meetConocí a Juan en la fiesta.I met Juan at the party.
contar conto count on¿Puedes contar con él?Can you count on him?
creer ento believe inCreo en ti, Yolanda.I believe in you, Yolanda.
cuidar ato take care ofCuida a tu hermano.Take care of your brother.
dedicarse ato do for a living¿A qué te dedicas?What do you do for a living?
dejar deto stopDeja de quejarte.Stop complaining.
depender deto depend onLa solución depende de ti.The solution depends on you.
despedirse deto say goodbye toDespídete de él.Say goodbye to him.
dirigirse ato walk toSe dirige al oeste.He’s walking to the west.
empezar ato startEmpezamos a llorar.We started to cry.
enamorarse deto fall in love withMe enamoré de Cantabria.I fell in love with Cantabria.
encargarse deto handleSe encarga de limpiar.He handles cleaning.
enfadarse conto get angry atSe enfadó con Luis.She got angry at Luis.
enojarse conto get mad atNo te enojes conmigo.Don't get mad at me.
escaparse deto escape fromSe escaparon de la cárcel.They escaped from prison.
estar ento be inEstán en la tienda.They’re in the store.
fijarse ento pay attention toNo se fijaron en nosotros.They didn’t pay attention to us.
hablar deto talk aboutHablaron de política.They talked about politics.
hablar sobreto talk aboutNo hablaron sobre el tiempo.They didn’t talk about the weather.
influir ento influenceLa falta de sueño influye en tu estado de ánimo.A lack of sleep influences your mood.
insistir ento insist onInsistimos en acompañarlo.We insisted on accompanying him.
ir ato go toVamos a Bilbao.We’re going to Bilbao.
jugar ato playJugamos a las cartas.We played cards.
llamar ato call¿Lo llamaste a Roberto?Did you call Roberto?
mirar ato look atNo mires a la profesora.Don’t look at the teacher.
negarse ato refuse toSe negó a participar.She refused to participate.
ocuparse deto deal withSe ocupa de las matrículas.He deals with the enrollment.
oler ato smell likeHuele a café.It smells like coffee.
olvidarse deto forgetNo te olvides de firmar.Don’t forget to sign.
optar porto chooseOptamos por el coche eléctrico.We chose the electric car.
participar ento take part inParticipamos en el festival.We took part in the festival.
pasarse porto stop byPásate por la casa de Elena.Stop by Elena’s house.
pensar ento think aboutPensamos en ellos.We thought about them.
preguntar porto ask aboutErik preguntó por su amigo.Erik asked about his friend.
preocuparse deto take care ofNacho se preocupó de todo.Nacho took care of everything.
preocuparse porto worry aboutNos preocupamos por Martín.We worried about Martin.
quedar conto meetQuedamos con amigos.We met friends.
quedar ento arrangeQuedamos en ir mañana.We arranged to go tomorrow.
quejarse deto complain aboutNos quejamos del ruído.We complained about the noise.
recurrir ato resort toRecurrimos a una denuncia formal. We resorted to a formal complaint.
reírse deto laugh atSe rieron del cómico.They laughed at the comedian.
renunciar ato quitRenunció a su trabajo.She quit her job.
ser deto be fromSoy de un pueblo.I’m from a small town.
soñar conto dream aboutSueño con visitar Munich.I dream about visiting Munich.
trabajar ento work atTrabajan en una fábrica.They work at a factory.
tratar sobreto be aboutEl libro trata sobre su vida.The book is about his life.
venir ento come in/byVenimos en autobús.We came by bus.
ver ato seeVimos a nuestros primos.We saw our cousins.

Ready to practice? Test your knowledge of these Spanish verbs and prepositions with this vocabulary list!