Spanish compound prepositions 1

Free Spanish exercise on compound prepositions (antes de, después de, encima de, a pesar de…). Intermediate level.

📚 Quick grammar review

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Compound prepositions — multi-word prepositional phrases — Spanish has many compound prepositions formed with a base preposition + noun + de: encima de (on top of), debajo de (under), delante de (in front of), detrás de (behind), al lado de (next to), a través de (through/across).

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Time and logical compound prepositions — Several compound prepositions are essential for sequencing and logical connections: antes de (before), después de (after), a partir de (from/starting from), en lugar de (instead of), a pesar de (despite), a causa de (because of), en cuanto a (as for / regarding).

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Adverb alone vs compound preposition — Many of these words work as adverbs alone (no de) or as compound prepositions (with de): Está encima (adverb — on top, no object) vs Está encima de la mesa (preposition — on top of the table). The presence of de signals that a noun phrase follows to complete the meaning.

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Choose the correct Spanish compound preposition to complete each translation.

1. The bank is next to the bakery. = El banco está (al lado de/a lo largo de) la panaderia.✓

2. Instead of going to the party, we went to a restaurant. = (En vez de/Fuera de) ir a la fiesta, fuimos a un restaurante.✓

3. The taco stand is in front of the store. = El puesto de tacos está (en lugar de/enfrente de) la tienda.✓

4. The book costs around $10. = El libro cuesta (a través de /alrededor de) $10 (diez dólares).✓

5. Before leaving, I said goodbye to everyone. = (Antes de/Arriba de) irme, me despedí a todos.✓

6. The market is right next to my house. = El mercado está (detrás de/junto a) mi casa.✓

7. The market is behind the bus station. = El mercado está (detrás de/junto a) la estación de autobuses.✓

8. Raúl finished ahead of his friend. = Raúl terminó (arriba de/delante de) su compañero.✓

9. She was sleeping under the blanket. = Dormía (debajo de/delante de) la cobija.✓

10. He hung the picture above the bed. = Colgó el cuadro (encima de/a espaldas de) la cama.✓

11. The toys are inside the box. = Los juguetes están (fuera de/dentro de) la caja.✓

12. He thinks he's outside the law. = Cree que está (fuera de/dentro de) la ley.✓

13. I like sleeping after eating. = Me gusta dormir (después de/antes de) comer.✓

14. I heard them through the wall. = Los oí (a través de /alrededor de) la pared.✓

15. The store is opposite my house. = La tienda está (frente a/enfrente de) mi casa.✓

16. The children were playing outside the house. = Los niños jugaban (detrás de/afuera de) la casa.✓

17. He is going to come at the end of the month. = Va a venir (a fines del/a espaldas del) mes.✓

18. The warehouse is right behind the store. = El depósito está (a fines de/a espaldas de) la tienda.✓

19. It's close to here. = Está (cerca de/delante de) aquí.✓

20. We walked along the river. = Caminamos (a lo largo del/ debajo del) río.✓

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