Spanish for Educators - 15 Prepositions of Place in Spanish

Spanish for Educators – 15 Prepositions of Place in Spanish

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This Spanish for Educators lesson focuses on learning 15 Prepositions of Place in Spanish: Preposiciones de lugar.

The objective of this Spanish lesson is for educators to learn how to explain to students where to put classroom objects and direct students about where things go in the classroom.

How many times do you get asked questions like these throughout the day?

  • “Maestra/o, where do I put my homework?”
  • “Where does my LA notebook go?”
  • “Where should I put my math folder?”
  • “Where are the scissors?”
I’m sure you get bombarded especially at the beginning of the school year before students are familiar with your classroom systems. Learn how to communicate this in Spanish by learning “prepositions of place.”
 

Su reto profesional:  It is one thing to listen to this lesson, but we believe it is up to you to apply it and acquire it! So, I challenge you to…start using these prepositions of place in Spanish in your classroom today to give indications to your students! ¿Dónde están las cosas en el aula?

Here is the Spanish lesson all about Prepositions of Place – I taught to my Maestro Miércoles Facebook group:

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¿Qué es una preposición? / What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is, basically, a LOCATOR of place and / or time of one object in relation to another.

Algunos ejemplos / Some examples

Spanish

English

Lean desde la página 4 hasta la página 6  

Read from page 4 till page 6 (From / Till)

Pongan los cuadernos encima del estantePut the notebooks on top of the shelf (On top of)
La papelera está detrás de la puertaThe recycle is behind the door (Behind)
Añadan sus respuestas en la línea debajo de la pregunta 

Add your answers on the line under the question (Under)

Preguntas comunes / Common Questions

Maestro(a) / Teacher

  • ¿Dónde debo poner la tarea? / Where should I put ______ ?
  • ¿Dónde van los cuadernos?  / Where do the _________ go?
  • ¿Dónde está la papelera? / Where is _________?
  • ¿Dónde pongo? / Where do I put _________?

Las preposiciones más comunes / Most Common Prepositions

Learning these prepositions will help you to give indications and instructions to your Spanish speaking students. Some of them have two or more different options to use but the meaning is the same.

SpanishEnglishExamples
AquíHereAquí pueden dejar los libros
AllíThereAllí está el aula de música
AlláOver thereAllá está la oficina del director
AToLos alumnos van a la clase de arte
Al lado deNext toEl baño está al lado de la escalera 
Alrededor deAroundEl profesor caminaba alrededor del aula
AnteIn front of / BeforeEl alumno expuso ante la clase
BajoUnder / UnderneathLas cartulinas están bajo la canasta
ConWithVamos a escribir con el bolígrafo
DeOf / FromEste es el cuaderno de Emily
Debajo deUnder / UnderneathColoquen los libros debajo de la mesa
Atrás / Detrás deBehindFormen una fila, uno detrás de otro 
EnIn / Into / ByVan a trabajar en grupos
Encima deOn top ofColoquen los libros encima de la mesa
Frente a / Enfrente de / Al frente deIn front ofVen al frente del aula y lee para todos

Otras preposiciones importantes / Other Interesting Prepositions

Besides the list of prepositions you have above, there are some others you could find useful to learn. You will find a full explanation in this post but I want to make sure to add them in this lesson as well 😀

SpanishEnglishExamples
 SobreOn top of / AboutColoquen los libros sobre la mesa (Put the books on top of the table)

Vamos a leer sobre George Washington (We are going to read about George Washington

TrasBehind / AfterEl baño está tras aquella puerta ( The bathroom is behind that door)

Tras hacer este examen, iremos a recreo (After doing this exam, we will go to recess)

 ContraAgainstColoquen los escritorios contra la pared (Place the desks against the wall)
Dentro (de) / Adentro (de)Inside / WithinGuarden los celulares dentro de la mochila (Keep the cell phones inside the backpack)
Cerca (de)Near / Close toLa oficina del director está cerca de la puerta de entrada (The Principal’s office is near the front door)
 Delante (de)In front ofEl Director habló delante de toda la escuela (The Director spoke in front of the whole school)
EntreBetweenEl salón de música está entre los salones de primer y tercer grado (The music room is between the first and third grade classrooms)
Afuera (de) / Fuera (de)Outside ofLas golosinas se deben comer fuera del aula (The sweets should be eaten outside the classroom)
HaciaTowardVamos en fila hacia la puerta de salida (We are going in a row towards the exit door)
Hasta UntilLa clase de arte es hasta las 10:00 AM (The art class is until 10:00 AM)
Junto a BesideEl libro de geografía está junto al de historia (The geography book is beside the history book)
Lejos (de)  Far fromEl cine está lejos de donde vivo (The cinema is far from where I live)
So* Under So pretexto de estar enfermo, él pidió permiso para irse de clase (Under the pretext of being sick, he asked permission to leave the class)
* “So” is an old preposition and you will only find it in written texts, however, you need to be careful and avoid using it as in “so” in English language.
 
 

El gran dilema: Por Vs. Para

Por y Para can cause major confusion y problemas! Often, it is hard to distinguish when to use which one as they both mean FOR and have many other uses. Don’t worry, we have some great resources to help you understand the differences between Por y Para. Here is a quick reference and you will see below more links for more in depth study of Por Vs. Para.

PorFor / By / Because of / Through / Per¿Sabes navegar por Internet?
ParaFor / To / In order toPida permiso para ir al baño

Do you want to master Por Vs Para? Check the links below:


Usos comunes en el aula / Common Uses in the Classroom

De la clase de Ms. Longmire / From Ms. Longmire class

Spanish

English

Pongan los teléfonos en silencio y adentro de las mochilas 

Phones should be on silent and zipped up your backpacks

Pongan la calculadora en el lugar correcto con los números hacia afueraPlease put your calculator in the correct spot with the number facing out
Estas notas serán pegadas en la página 25 luego de la actividad de clasificación que hicimos ayerThese notes will be glued on page 25, after the sorting activity we did yesterday
Pongan su papel en la bandeja de la clase

Turn in your papers to the class tray

Limpien los escritorios y pongan los libros debajo del escritorioClean your desk off and put all books under your desk
¿Tu nombre está en el papel?Is your name on your paper?
Quédense en sus sillas hasta que les doy permiso de salir  Please stay in your seat until I dismiss the class

It’s your turn! / ¡Te toca a ti!

Which prepositions would you use in these classroom instructions?

  • Los estudiantes van     to     la clase de educación física.
  • Los cuadernos de matemática están   next to   la computadora.
  • Vamos a escribir   with   el lápiz.
  • La papelera está   behind   la puerta.

Study all of this classroom vocabulary in Spanish with these flashcards!

Go on, create your own classroom instructions and share them in the comments below or on the Facebook Group to get feedback from other Spanish learners 😀

I packaged all of this into easily downloadable .pdf notes–

¡Arriésguense, abran la boca y cometan errores!

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