Prepositions of Place with "de"
When describing where furniture and objects are located in a room, you will often use compound prepositions. In Spanish, many prepositions of place are short phrases that end with the word de.
Let's look at two common ones:
- encima de: on top of
- debajo de: under
Before looking at examples, remember a crucial rule: when de is followed by the masculine singular article el (the), they merge to form the contraction del (de + el = del). If the article is la, los, or las, there is no contraction.
| The lamp is on top of the table. | La lámpara está encima de la mesa. |
| I see it on top of the sofa. | Lo veo encima del sofá. |
| She puts the rug under the bed. | Ella pone la alfombra debajo de la cama. |
| Look for the cat under the cushion! | ¡Busca el gato debajo del cojín! |
Next to and Opposite
Two more useful prepositions that follow the exact same rules with de (and the del contraction) are:
- al lado de: next to
- enfrente de: opposite (or facing)
| The big painting is next to the door. | El cuadro grande está al lado de la puerta. |
| There is an armchair opposite the desk. | Hay un sillón enfrente del escritorio. |
Between
To say that something is "between" objects, use the preposition entre.
Notice that unlike the previous phrases, entre stands alone. It is not followed by de, which means you do not have to worry about any contractions with the article that comes next.
| The chair is between the table and the wardrobe. | La silla está entre la mesa y el armario. |
| He finds his glasses between the cushions. | Él encuentra sus gafas entre los cojines. |
