SPANISH GRAMMAR: Preposition "on" in Spanish

Spanish-speakers when speaking in English use 'in' and 'on' incorectly, and they say for example

• 'the book is in the table'  (en la mesa)
• 'the book is on the draw' (en el cajón
• the keys are on the car'    (en el coche/auto)

 
The reasons for this are simple: the preposition 'en' can convey 3 spatial positions 'on' 'in' and 'inside':

• La cámara está en la mesa (the camera is on the table)
• El libro está en el cajón     (the book is inside the draw)
• El árbol está en el parque  (the tree is in the park)

Prepositions are the hardest thing to master in any language, so learners should not worry too much. In fact, I notice that when I am tired or excited telling a story or I have drunk a little too much "my prepositions fail me". I have a friend who finds this statement hilarious so I use it with her and it is now part of our personal lingo.

Learn this today: 

 






















There are, of course, other words that can express 'on' in Spanish like 'encima de' and 'sobre'. I will deal with those another time.

Now it is YOUR TURN: write in Spanish

1. The cat is on the bed.
2. The bottle of wine is in the fridge.
3. The students are in the classroom.
4. The cat is on the roof.
5. The ship is on the water.
6. The swimmer is in the water.



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