Prepositions: Part 1
Whatever draws you to the mountains, in whatever season, prepositions will help you get to your destination and make sure you have a good time while you're there. Let's start with some basic vocabulary to talk about the things you might do on a visit to the mountains.
You already know some other vocabulary pertinent to a mountain visit:
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is generally referred to as
Expand your list with verbs like
Listen to each example on Track 71 as you follow along in the text. Repeat each sentence after you hear it.
(I don't like to carry a very heavy backpack.)
(We crossed over the stream very carefully.)
(When they got to the top of the mountain, the hikers rested for half an
If you go up to the mountains in the winter, it's likely that you're headed to a ski resort or to some trails for cross-country skiing. The sport of skiing is referred to as
You've already learned a number of reflexive verbs that you can use while you're at the ski resort:
(I put on my skis and then I hopped on the ski lift.)
(Elizabeth fell while she was skiing and broke her arm.)
The verbs subir and bajar can be used in several ways. They mean to get on, into, off, or out of a vehicle, as well as to climb or hike up or down a mountain. As reflexives, they make any of these actions more emphatic, rather like “zip” up or down or “hop” on or off in English.
Vacation in the Mountains
Before we go any further, let's talk a little bit about your last vacation in the mountains. Translate the following sentences to say what you and your friends did. Then check your work with the model answers in Appendix D.
My friends and I skied in the Sierra Nevada at a beautiful ski resort.
Rafael had an accident and ran into a tree on the slope.
You took a backpack with some food and water when you went hiking through the canyon, didn't you?
Juan and Marta preferred the gondola, but María hiked up on foot.
There are many paths to reach the meadow at the top of the mountain.
So, where might you go to enjoy the mountains or a ski resort in the Spanish-speaking world? Spain's highest and longest mountain range is the Pyrenees (
Basic Prepositions
Now you've got some basic mountain and ski vocabulary under your belt. Let's move on to the prepositions that make all these activities possible. Notice that many of these prepositions have multiple equivalents in English.
Many of these prepositions fall into three basic categories: prepositions of place, of direction, and of time. Look at the following chart to review some of the contexts in which these prepositions can be used.
Of Place |
Of Direction |
Of Time |
This may seem like a lot of flexibility, but you'll quickly realize that these multiple functions of prepositions aren't as confusing as you thought. Look over the following examples and you'll see:
(We went home at eight. — direction and time)
(We'll be at your house in five minutes. — place, time)
(Today we only skied to the stream. Tomorrow we'll continue until afternoon. — direction and time)
(The plane will fly over the volcano around eleven. — place and time)
It's important to keep in mind that these prepositions can have other meanings as well, and their meanings may shift in translation. Sentences that use particular prepositions in English may use a different preposition in Spanish or none at all, and vice versa. For example, you say “I'm going home” in English, but the same sentence in Spanish requires the directional preposition
You have already learned the many meanings of the prepositions
Listen to each sentence in Spanish and write down an English equivalent. (The text is not included here because this is meant to be a more challenging exercise.) Remember that English might use a different preposition than Spanish, and there may also be more than one correct way to express the sentence in English. Refer to Appendix D to see a transcript of the audio and check yours translations against the sample answers provided.
Verb and Preposition Partnerships
English and Spanish both use many verb + preposition combinations. To get an idea of how common this is, look up the verb “get” in your English/ Spanish dictionary and marvel at all the prepositions that “get” can be paired with and all the different meanings those combinations generate. Then look at how many ways “get” can be translated into Spanish. If you had any doubts, you'll finally “get” the idea that translation isn't simple word substitution.
In many cases, the literal meanings of prepositions are lost in the verb + preposition partnerships. Remember that English and Spanish verb-preposition combinations may be completely different, and some combinations in English are expressed with a single verb in Spanish, and vice versa. For example, in English you “look for” the trail on a hike; in Spanish,
Now let's see some of these combinations in action. Listen to each example on Track 73 as you follow along in the text. Repeat each after you hear it.
(I attended a ski class when I arrived at the ski resort.)
(We have just come down the mountain by way of a very steep slope.)
(Didn't you remember to bring your skis?)
(Melina wasn't very late in arriving.)
Practice some more with these verb and preposition combinations as you play around with the new vocabulary from this lesson. Make up a story about a trip you took, and say what everyone did using as many prepositions and verb + preposition combinations as you can.
