When you first learned Spanish prepositions, you learned their spatial meanings: en means "in," de means "from," a means "to." But at the C1 level, the prepositions that trip you up are not the ones indicating physical location — they are the ones expressing states, manners, qualities, and abstract relationships. En silencio, de pie, a ciegas, por persona — these are non-spatial uses that must be learned as fixed expressions. This page systematizes them by preposition and semantic function, turning hundreds of seemingly random phrases into a manageable set of patterns.
En + state
When en is followed by an abstract noun, it typically describes the state or condition that something or someone is in. This is one of the most productive abstract patterns in Spanish.
El país está en crisis desde hace meses.
The country has been in crisis for months.
La casa está en venta.
The house is for sale.
Lucharon en vano por salvar el edificio.
They fought in vain to save the building.
El asunto está en duda.
The matter is in doubt.
La propuesta está en revisión.
The proposal is under review.
Common en + state expressions
| Expression | English | Example context |
|---|---|---|
| en silencio | in silence | Se sentaron en silencio. |
| en crisis | in crisis | La economía está en crisis. |
| en venta | for sale | El departamento está en venta. |
| en serio | seriously | ¿Lo dices en serio? |
| en broma | as a joke | Lo dije en broma. |
| en vano | in vain | Esperamos en vano. |
| en paz | in peace | Déjame en paz. |
| en peligro | in danger | Están en peligro. |
| en duda | in doubt | Su inocencia está en duda. |
| en orden | in order | Todo está en orden. |
| en secreto | in secret | Se reunieron en secreto. |
| en común | in common | Tienen mucho en común. |
De + quality, manner, and role
De followed by an adjective or noun often describes a quality, manner, or temporary role. Many of these expressions describe postures, moods, or ways of doing things.
Está de buen humor hoy.
She's in a good mood today.
Pasó toda la conferencia de pie.
He spent the whole conference standing.
Aprendí el poema de memoria.
I learned the poem by heart.
De golpe, se apagaron todas las luces.
Suddenly, all the lights went out.
De pronto empezó a llover.
Suddenly it started to rain.
Trabaja de mesero los fines de semana.
He works as a waiter on weekends.
Estoy de vacaciones hasta el viernes.
I'm on vacation until Friday.
Common de + manner/quality expressions
| Expression | English | Category |
|---|---|---|
| de pie | standing | Posture |
| de rodillas | kneeling | Posture |
| de espaldas | with one's back turned | Posture |
| de buen/mal humor | in a good/bad mood | Mood |
| de memoria | by heart | Manner |
| de golpe | suddenly, all at once | Manner |
| de pronto | suddenly | Manner |
| de paso | in passing, on the way | Manner |
| de nuevo | again | Manner |
| de verdad | truly, for real | Manner |
| de vacaciones | on vacation | Role/State |
| de visita | visiting | Role/State |
A + manner
A followed by a noun or adjective (often plural, often feminine) creates adverbial expressions of manner. Many of these describe how an action is performed — often with a connotation of secrecy, darkness, or difficulty.
Lo hicieron a escondidas de sus padres.
They did it behind their parents' backs.
Caminamos a ciegas por el pasillo oscuro.
We walked blindly through the dark hallway.
Tuvimos que vestirnos a oscuras porque se fue la luz.
We had to get dressed in the dark because the power went out.
Prefiero trabajar a solas.
I prefer to work alone.
Lo hizo a propósito, estoy seguro.
He did it on purpose, I'm sure.
Todos esos bordados están hechos a mano.
All those embroideries are handmade.
Llegamos a tiempo para la función.
We arrived on time for the show.
Common a + manner expressions
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| a escondidas | in secret, on the sly |
| a ciegas | blindly |
| a oscuras | in the dark |
| a solas | alone, in private |
| a propósito | on purpose |
| a mano | by hand |
| a pie | on foot |
| a tiempo | on time |
| a menudo | often |
| a veces | sometimes |
| a lo mejor | maybe, perhaps |
| a fondo | thoroughly, in depth |
| a gusto | comfortably, at ease |
Por + distribution and rate
Por in its abstract uses often expresses distribution, rate, or exchange. This is the por of "per," "for each," and "in exchange for."
Voy al gimnasio tres veces por semana.
I go to the gym three times per week.
El interés es del dos por ciento anual.
The interest rate is two percent annually.
Revisaron los documentos uno por uno.
They reviewed the documents one by one.
Por lo general, llego a las ocho.
Generally, I arrive at eight.
Lo hizo por necesidad, no por gusto.
He did it out of necessity, not for pleasure.
Por suerte, nadie resultó herido.
Luckily, no one was hurt.
Common por expressions
| Expression | English | Function |
|---|---|---|
| por semana / mes / año | per week / month / year | Rate |
| por ciento | percent | Rate |
| uno por uno | one by one | Distribution |
| por persona | per person | Distribution |
| por lo general | generally | Manner |
| por lo menos | at least | Evaluation |
| por lo tanto | therefore | Consequence |
| por suerte | luckily | Evaluation |
| por desgracia | unfortunately | Evaluation |
| por supuesto | of course | Affirmation |
| por casualidad | by chance | Manner |
| por ejemplo | for example | Illustration |
Con + abstract accompaniment
When con takes an abstract noun, it describes the attitude, instrument, or characteristic accompanying an action. These are metaphorical extensions of con's core meaning of "with."
Maneja con cuidado en la lluvia.
Drive carefully in the rain.
Con razón estabas enojado — no te avisaron.
No wonder you were angry — they didn't tell you.
Lo dijo con toda sinceridad.
She said it with complete sincerity.
Con paciencia, todo se logra.
With patience, everything can be achieved.
Sin + absence
Sin followed by an infinitive or abstract noun expresses the absence of something — often unintentionally or emphatically.
Lo rompió sin querer.
He broke it unintentionally.
Tienes que estar ahí sin falta a las ocho.
You have to be there without fail at eight.
Sin duda, es el mejor restaurante de la ciudad.
Without a doubt, it's the best restaurant in the city.
Salió de la casa sin decir nada.
She left the house without saying anything.
Sin embargo, la situación mejoró.
Nevertheless, the situation improved.
Why these expressions are hard
Abstract preposition uses cannot be predicted from spatial meaning. Knowing that en means "in" does not help you guess that en serio means "seriously" or that en vano means "in vain." Knowing that a means "to" does not prepare you for a ciegas (blindly) or a propósito (on purpose).
The only reliable strategy is to learn these as chunks — the same way you learned tener hambre instead of trying to derive it from tener + hambre. When you encounter one of these expressions, note the whole phrase, not just the individual words.
Common mistakes
❌ Lo hizo en propósito.
Wrong preposition: on purpose is *a propósito*, not *en propósito*.
✅ Lo hizo a propósito.
Correct: a propósito.
❌ Estaba parado en pies.
Wrong: standing is *de pie*, not *en pies*.
✅ Estaba de pie.
Correct: de pie (no plural).
❌ Lo aprendí por memoria.
Wrong preposition: by heart is *de memoria*, not *por memoria*.
✅ Lo aprendí de memoria.
Correct: de memoria.
❌ Caminamos en oscuridad.
Understandable but not the fixed expression.
✅ Caminamos a oscuras.
Correct: a oscuras (the fixed manner expression).
❌ Tres veces en semana.
Wrong preposition: per week is *por semana*.
✅ Tres veces por semana.
Correct: por semana.
For the basics of each preposition, see Prepositions Overview, En: Location, and De: Possession. For con and its uses, see Con.
Related Topics
- Prepositions OverviewA1 — An introduction to Spanish prepositions and the main words used to connect ideas.
- En: LocationA1 — How en covers in, on, and at when describing location in Spanish.
- De: Possession and OriginA1 — How Spanish uses de to express possession, origin, and relationships.
- Con: Accompaniment and InstrumentA1 — The preposition con expresses with whom, with what, and in what manner