español · A2 · grammar · 4 minutes
A, en, and de
Organize destination, location, and origin with three small words.
Understand the choice
The small prepositions a, en, and de organize motion and place: a points to a destination, en holds an action at a location, and de marks origin, belonging, material, or description.
Core rule: Use a for a destination, en for a location, and de for an origin or relationship.
Notice it in context
Vengo de casa, voy a clase y estudio en la biblioteca.
I come from home, go to class, and study in the library.
Use a for a destination, en for a location, and de for an origin or relationship.
Llegamos al hotel a las ocho.
We arrive at the hotel at eight.
Llegar a requires a; a + el becomes al.
El libro de Marta está en mi mesa.
Marta’s book is on my table.
De marks relationship; en marks location.
What to remember
- A contracts with el to al, and de contracts with el to del; neither contracts before él the pronoun.
- Some verbs fix the choice: llegar a, vivir en, venir de, depender de.
Common trap: Do not transfer English “in/to/from” mechanically. Movement selects a, location selects en, and origin selects de with these verbs.