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Spanish (Spain)

Some Spanish verbs, adjectives, and expressions always require a specific preposition. When they are followed by a clause starting with **que** (that), the preposition must stay! Dropping it is a common mistake known as *queísmo*.

### Using "de que"

Verbs like **darse cuenta de** (to realize), **acordarse de** (to remember), and **olvidarse de** (to forget) always need **de**. If the next word is **que**, you must say **de que**. Adjectives like **seguro/a de** (sure of) work exactly the same way.

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Fixed expressions like **antes de** (before) also keep their preposition when followed by a **que** clause.

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### Using "a que" and "en que"

Other verbs demand different prepositions. For example, **esperar a** (to wait for an event) and **acostumbrarse a** (to get used to) become **a que**.

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Similarly, **insistir en** (to insist on) and **fijarse en** (to notice) become **en que**.

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### The "eso" trick

How do you know if a verb needs a preposition? Try replacing the entire **que** clause with **eso** (that).
- **Me he olvidado de eso** makes perfect sense, so it translates to **Me he olvidado de que...**
- **Creo de eso** sounds wrong (it should just be **Creo eso**), so it translates to **Creo que...**

Adding an extra **de** where it doesn't belong is a mistake called *dequeísmo*. Verbs of thinking and communicating, like **creer** (to think/believe) and **pensar** (to think), never take a preposition. They connect directly to **que**.

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Prepositions before 'que' (de que, a que)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Singular subjects and 'ser' (yo soy, esto es)

Plural nouns and definite articles (los, las)

Plural pronouns and 'ser' (somos, sois, son)

Adjective agreement (-o, -a, -os, -as)

Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)

Simple negation (no)

Yes/no questions

Regular '-ar' verbs (-o, -as, -a...)

Regular '-er' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Regular '-ir' verbs (-o, -es, -e...)

Locative adverbs (aquí, allí)

Question words (quién, cómo)

The verb estar (estoy, estás)

The preposition en (en)

Ser vs. estar

The verb tener (tengo, tienes)

Possessive determiners (mi, tu, su)

Origin and possession (de, del)

The verb ir (voy, vas)

Destination (a, al)

The personal 'a' (a)

Stem-changing verbs: e to ie

Stem-changing verbs: o to ue

Irregular first-person verbs

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, dos, tres)

Numbers 11 to 20 (once, doce, trece)

Counting by tens to 100 (treinta, cuarenta, cien)

Compound numbers up to 99 (veintiuno, treinta y uno)

Days of the week (el lunes, el martes)

The family and the personal 'a' (a mi tío, a mi prima)

Months of the year

Telling time (es la, son las)

Verbs of liking (me gusta)

Plural agreement with verbs of liking (gustan)

Degree modifiers (muy, mucho)

Formal address (usted, ustedes)

Direct object pronouns (lo, la, los, las)

The near future (ir a)

Obligation (tener que)

Present continuous (-ando, -iendo)

Affirmative commands (tú, vosotros)

Basic Food and Drink

The Human Body: Head and Arms

The Human Body: Legs and Health

Wardrobe Essentials

Fresh Produce

Meals and Proteins

Public Transport

Hello and goodbye (hola, ¿qué tal?)

Thank you, sorry, OK (gracias, vale)

There is, there are (hay)

My building (la escalera, el ascensor)

Describing people (moreno, rubio, tímido)

Land and sea (el mar, el río, el norte)

Sightseeing (la plaza, la catedral)

Asking the way (cerca, a la derecha, todo recto)

In class (¿puedes repetir?)

Verb + infinitive (quiero comer, sé leer)

What's your name? (me llamo, encantado)

Phone, computer and email

Hundreds and thousands (doscientos, mil)

What do you do? (¿a qué te dedicas?)

Personal details (la edad, la fecha de nacimiento)

Me neither (también, tampoco, ni)

How much is it? (el precio, la vuelta)

What's the weather like? (hace sol, nieva)

Free time (el concierto, el tenis)

At the bar (¿qué vas a tomar?)

The Natural World

Demonstratives (este, ese, aquel)

Prepositions of place (encima de, debajo de)

Prepositional pronouns (para mí, contigo)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primero to décimo)

Adverbs of frequency (a veces, nunca)

Exclamations (¡qué...!)

Indefinite pronouns (algo, alguien)

Indefinite determiners (algún, ningún)

Indirect object pronouns (le, les)

Double object pronouns (me lo, te la)

Double object pronouns (se lo, se la)

Verbs of preference (encantar, interesar)

Impersonal obligation (hay que)

Starting and finishing actions (empezar a, terminar de)

Adjective comparatives (más que, menos que)

Comparatives of equality (tan como)

Noun comparatives (tanto como)

Question	Answer
the mechanism	el mecanismo
We have realized that the mechanism is broken, since it does not turn.	Nos hemos dado cuenta de que el mecanismo está roto, puesto que no gira.
to slide	deslizar
the lever	la palanca
Having found the exit, I insist that you slide the lever carefully.	Habiendo encontrado la salida, insisto en que deslices la palanca con cuidado.
the trapdoor	la trampilla
the timer	el temporizador
The boy has forgotten that the trapdoor opens with the timer.	El chico se ha olvidado de que la trampilla se abre con el temporizador.
Anyway, we wait for the trapdoor to open.	De todas formas, esperamos a que se abra la trampilla.
the passage	el pasadizo
I am sure that the passage is behind this wall.	Estoy seguro de que el pasadizo está detrás de esta pared.
the crank	la manivela
Having turned the crank, I have noticed that the passage is dark.	Habiendo girado la manivela, me he fijado en que el pasadizo está oscuro.
the symbol	el símbolo
the parchment	el pergamino
Do you remember that we have seen that symbol on the parchment?	¿Te acuerdas de que hemos visto ese símbolo en el pergamino?
the magnifying glass	la lupa
I think that we need the magnifying glass to read the parchment, in any case.	Creo que necesitamos la lupa para leer el pergamino, en cualquier caso.
We have gotten used to the timer going so fast.	Nos hemos acostumbrado a que el temporizador vaya tan rápido.
Do not slide the lever before I turn the crank!	¡No deslices la palanca antes de que yo gire la manivela!
I think that the magnifying glass reveals the symbol of the mechanism.	Pienso que la lupa revela el símbolo del mecanismo.