Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession

In this lesson, you'll learn some English prepositions that are used to indicate relationships, purpose, and possession. You'll also learn some English words for animals.

Interactive flashcards and a quiz are included to help you learn the concepts covered in this lesson.

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Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession

With

With is used to indicate accompaniment, connection, or the instrument used to perform an action.

I am going to the cinema with my brother.	Voy al cine con mi hermano.
She cut the cake with a sharp knife.	Ella cortó el pastel con un cuchillo afilado.
Can you go with me to the concert?	¿Se puede ir conmigo al concierto?

Without

Without is used to indicate the absence of something or someone.

He managed to finish the marathon without any water.	Él logró terminar el maratón sin agua.
It is difficult to navigate the city without a map.	Es difícil navegar la ciudad sin un mapa.

Against

Against is used to indicate opposition, disagreement, or physical contact/pressure.

The local community voted against the new development.	La comunidad local votó en contra del nuevo desarrollo.
He leaned his bicycle against the brick wall.	Él apoyó su bicicleta contra la pared de ladrillos.

For

For is used to indicate purpose, reason, or the person intended to receive something.

I bought this bouquet of flowers for my mother.	Compré este ramo de flores para mi madre.
They are studying hard for their final exams.	Ellos están estudiando mucho para sus exámenes finales.
He waited for two hours.	Esperó dos horas.

Of

Of is used to indicate belonging, origin, or the material something is made from.

This is the first page of the book.	Esta es la primera página del libro.
The table is made of solid oak.	La mesa está hecha de roble macizo.

About

About is used to indicate the subject or topic of a conversation, book, or thought.

The story is about a cat.	La historia trata de un gato.
We were talking about our plans for the summer.	Estábamos hablando sobre nuestros planes para el verano.
I am reading a fascinating story about space travel.	Estoy leyendo una historia fascinante sobre viajes espaciales.

Compound Prepositions

A compound preposition consists of two or more words, but acts like a single preposition. The following table shows some common compound prepositions.

ahead of	as far as	because of	by means of
in addition to	in back of	in case of	in regard to
in spite of	instead of	next to	out of

Examples

They arrived ahead of me.	Llegaron por delante de mí.
Your jacket is next to the door.	Su chaqueta está al lado de la puerta.
I finished in spite of the interruptions.	Terminé a pesar de las interrupciones.