Beyond a, de, and en, two more prepositions show up regularly before an infinitive: con and por. The verbs in these groups are fewer, but they include some very common ones you'll want to recognize and use — particularly around counting on, dreaming about, threatening, worrying, and starting or ending with an action.
Verbs with con
The verbs in this group express linking or connecting to an action in some way: relying on it, dreaming about it, or threatening it.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| contar con | to count on | Cuento con verte mañana. |
| soñar con | to dream about | Sueño con viajar por el mundo. |
| amenazar con | to threaten to | Amenazó con renunciar. |
| conformarse con | to be content with | Me conformo con aprobar. |
| entretenerse con | to entertain oneself with | Se entretiene con leer. |
Soñar con
Spanish uses soñar con, not soñar en, to talk about dreams and aspirations. The con is fixed.
Contar con
Contar con literally means "to count on" — you can count on a person or on an event happening. With an infinitive, it usually means you're relying on something taking place.
Cuento con tenerlo listo para el viernes.
I'm counting on having it ready by Friday.
Verbs with por
The verbs in this group often describe the beginning, ending, motivation, or struggle around an action.
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| empezar por | to begin by (doing) | Empezó por preguntar. |
| acabar por | to end up (doing) | Acabé por aceptar. |
| terminar por | to end up (doing) | Terminó por rendirse. |
| luchar por | to fight / struggle to | Lucha por ganar. |
| preocuparse por | to worry about | Se preocupa por llegar a tiempo. |
| optar por | to choose to | Opté por quedarme. |
| esforzarse por | to make an effort to | Me esfuerzo por entender. |
Empezar a vs. empezar por
This pair is worth a closer look because the preposition changes the meaning.
- Empezar a
- infinitive = to begin to (neutral starting point).
- Empezar por
- infinitive = to begin by (doing X first, as the first step in a sequence).
Empezó a llover a las tres.
It started to rain at three.
Acabar por / terminar por: "end up (doing)"
Both acabar por and terminar por translate as "to end up (doing)" — the result you finally arrive at, often after hesitation or difficulty. Don't confuse these with acabar de, which means "to have just done."
Después de mucho pensarlo, acabé por aceptar el trabajo.
After thinking about it a lot, I ended up accepting the job.
Preocuparse por
Preocuparse por means to worry about something or someone. With an infinitive, it often expresses concern about an action or outcome.
Se preocupa por llegar temprano a todas partes.
He worries about arriving early everywhere.
See also verbs + a, verbs + de, and verbs + en for the other major prepositional groups.
Related Topics
- The Infinitive: OverviewA1 — The infinitive is the base, uninflected form of a Spanish verb, ending in -ar, -er, or -ir.
- Verbs + A + InfinitiveB1 — A key group of Spanish verbs requires the preposition a before the following infinitive.
- Verbs + De + InfinitiveB1 — Another set of verbs takes the preposition de before a following infinitive.
- Verbs + En + InfinitiveB1 — A smaller group of Spanish verbs is followed by the preposition en before an infinitive.