a, en, de, desde, hasta with movement and transport
Say where you go, where you come from, how far, and how you travel.
Part of the free A2 Spanish course. Press the speaker next to an example to hear it.
This lesson is about getting around: going somewhere, arriving, leaving, and the means of transport. Five prepositions do most of the work: a, en, de, desde, hasta. You already know al and del (a + el = al, de + el = del) and the words for position (Where things are: en, encima de, debajo de, al lado de, entre, cerca de).
A: towards a place
Verbs of movement towards a place (ir, venir, llegar, volver, viajar) take a. Remember a + el = al.
- Vamos a Granada este fin de semana.We're going to Granada this weekend.
- Llegamos al aeropuerto a las seis.We arrived at the airport at six.
Llegar takes a, not en: llegar a Madrid (arrive in Madrid), llegar a casa (get home).
En: being in a place, and transport
En is for being in a place, with no movement (estar en, vivir en, trabajar en).
- Mis primos viven en Málaga.My cousins live in Malaga.
En also gives the means of transport: en coche, en tren, en autobús, en metro, en avión, en barco, en bici, en moto. There is no article.
- Voy al trabajo en metro.I go to work by underground.
Two important exceptions take a: a pie (on foot) and a caballo (on horseback). In Spain you also say ir andando.
- Los niños van al colegio a pie.The children go to school on foot.
In Spain you enter a place with entrar en: entrar en la tienda.
De: from, out of
De gives the starting point with venir de, salir de, volver de, bajar de. De + el = del.
- Mi hermana vuelve de Londres el domingo.My sister comes back from London on Sunday.
- Salimos del cine muy tarde.We left the cinema very late.
Getting on and off: subir a (get on, get into) and bajar de (get off, get out of). In speech they are often reflexive: subirse al tren, bajarse del coche.
- Me bajé del autobús en la plaza.I got off the bus in the square.
From... to: de... a, desde... hasta
For a route or a range, pair de with a, or desde with hasta. Desde... hasta stresses the whole distance or the limits, a bit like all the way from... to.
- El museo abre de martes a domingo.The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
- Fuimos en bici desde Sevilla hasta Córdoba.We cycled all the way from Seville to Cordoba.
Hasta on its own means as far as or until: Te acompaño hasta la esquina.
The safest pairs are de... a and desde... hasta. Desde... a is also common and generally accepted; de... hasta is best avoided in careful Spanish.
| Meaning | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to, towards | a | ir a Roma, llegar a casa |
| in, by (transport) | en | estar en casa, en tren |
| on foot | a | a pie |
| from | de | venir de Lima, salir del trabajo |
| from... to | de... a, desde... hasta | de lunes a viernes |
Latin America
Most Latin Americans say entrar a la tienda rather than entrar en, and ir caminando rather than ir andando. Both are understood in Spain. Coche is carro or auto in much of Latin America, and the word for autobús varies: for example camión (Mexico), colectivo (Argentina) or micro (Chile).
Common mistakes
Llegué en Madrid→ Llegué a Madrid. Llegar takes a.Voy en pie→ Voy a pie. Walking is the exception: a pie.Viajo por coche→ Viajo en coche. Transport takes en and no article. (Voy con el coche, meaning your own car, is also heard in Spain.)Voy a la casafor "I'm going home" → Voy a casa. Your own home needs no article.Estoy a casa→ Estoy en casa. Being somewhere is en; a is for movement.
Practice
- Mis padres llegan _____ Madrid esta noche.Options: a · en · para · hacia
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a — Llegar takes a: llegar a Madrid. English 'in' tempts you to say en.
- Siempre voy a la universidad _____ bici.Options: en · a · por · con
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en — Transport takes en and no article: en bici.
- Los domingos vamos al mercado _____ pie.
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a — On foot is the exception: a pie.
- ¿A qué hora sales _____ la oficina?Options: de · a · en · con
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de — Salir de = to leave a place.