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?”
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 estante | Put the notebooks on top of the shelf (On top of) |
| La papelera está detrás de la puerta | The 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.
| Spanish | English | Examples |
| Aquí | Here | Aquí pueden dejar los libros |
| Allí | There | Allí está el aula de música |
| Allá | Over there | Allá está la oficina del director |
| A | To | Los alumnos van a la clase de arte |
| Al lado de | Next to | El baño está al lado de la escalera |
| Alrededor de | Around | El profesor caminaba alrededor del aula |
| Ante | In front of / Before | El alumno expuso ante la clase |
| Bajo | Under / Underneath | Las cartulinas están bajo la canasta |
| Con | With | Vamos a escribir con el bolígrafo |
| De | Of / From | Este es el cuaderno de Emily |
| Debajo de | Under / Underneath | Coloquen los libros debajo de la mesa |
| Atrás / Detrás de | Behind | Formen una fila, uno detrás de otro |
| En | In / Into / By | Van a trabajar en grupos |
| Encima de | On top of | Coloquen los libros encima de la mesa |
| Frente a / Enfrente de / Al frente de | In front of | Ven 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 😀
| Spanish | English | Examples |
| Sobre | On top of / About | Coloquen 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 |
| Tras | Behind / After | El 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) |
| Contra | Against | Coloquen los escritorios contra la pared (Place the desks against the wall) |
| Dentro (de) / Adentro (de) | Inside / Within | Guarden los celulares dentro de la mochila (Keep the cell phones inside the backpack) |
| Cerca (de) | Near / Close to | La oficina del director está cerca de la puerta de entrada (The Principal’s office is near the front door) |
| Delante (de) | In front of | El Director habló delante de toda la escuela (The Director spoke in front of the whole school) |
| Entre | Between | El 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 of | Las golosinas se deben comer fuera del aula (The sweets should be eaten outside the classroom) |
| Hacia | Toward | Vamos en fila hacia la puerta de salida (We are going in a row towards the exit door) |
| Hasta | Until | La clase de arte es hasta las 10:00 AM (The art class is until 10:00 AM) |
| Junto a | Beside | El libro de geografía está junto al de historia (The geography book is beside the history book) |
| Lejos (de) | Far from | El 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) |
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.
| Por | For / By / Because of / Through / Per | ¿Sabes navegar por Internet? |
| Para | For / To / In order to | Pida 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 afuera | Please 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 ayer | These 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 escritorio | Clean 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 😀
