Verbs and their favorite prepositions
In Spanish, many verbs are followed by a specific preposition (like a, con, de, or en) before you mention the noun or action that comes next. These combinations don't always match their English equivalents!
For example, while in English we "depend on" someone, in Spanish you use depender de. And instead of "falling in love with" someone, you use enamorarse de.
Here are some of the most common verb-preposition pairs you'll use when discussing relationships and life goals:
| Verb | Preposition | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| acordarse | de | to remember |
| enamorarse | de | to fall in love with |
| divorciarse | de | to divorce |
| depender | de | to depend on |
| alegrarse | de | to be glad about |
| acostumbrarse | a | to get used to |
| pensar | en | to think about |
| soñar | con | to dream of / about |
| comprometerse | con | to get engaged to |
Let's see some of these in action:
| He says that he is falling in love with her. | Él dice que se enamora de ella. |
| I remember your wedding. | Me acuerdo de tu boda. |
| Our future depends on this relationship. | Nuestro futuro depende de esta relación. |
Notice how many of these verbs are also reflexive (using pronouns like me, te, or se).
| My cousin says that he is getting engaged to his girlfriend today. | Mi primo dice que se compromete con su novia hoy. |
| The boy dreams of marriage. | El chico sueña con el matrimonio. |
You can use these combinations with nouns or other verbs. When an action follows the preposition, leave the second verb in the infinitive:
| I always think about marrying you. | Siempre pienso en casarme contigo. |
Remember that a + el combines into the single word al:
| It is difficult to get used to marriage. | Es difícil acostumbrarse al matrimonio. |