22
votes
Why do we use "conmigo" but not "sinmigo"?
The preposition "con" (with) comes from the Latin preposition "cum" and in that language when using pronouns, they would put "cum" at the end so instead of saying "cum me" they would say "mecum" (with ...
- 414
17
votes
Accepted
Why do we use "conmigo" but not "sinmigo"?
Origin of conmigo
In Latin, "with me" was expressed mecum ("mí con"). Over time this word evolved phonologically to the point where the original "with" sense needed to be ...
- 19.2k
16
votes
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Mayúsculas en apellidos con preposiciones
En la Ortografía de la lengua española se explica cuándo se usa mayúscula y cuándo no para apellidos con preposiciones:
Si un apellido comienza por preposición, o por preposición y artículo, estos ...
- 6,978
14
votes
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What is the "a" in ¿"A dónde vamos?"?
It's not 'we'; the 'we' is implied by 'vamos', which is the first person plural form of the verb 'ir' ('to go').
It's 'to', as @Traveller mentions in the comments, so it literally translates as 'To ...
- 1,196
13
votes
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Why is the cycle race called La Vuelta "a" España, not "de"?
There's a subtle difference between using 'a' and 'de'.
If you say 'La Vuelta de España', it means the object of this sentence, 'La Vuelta' belongs to Spain and it pertains to it. Like saying 'The ...
- 721
13
votes
Why is "a" needed in "Jugaba al tenis todos los días"?
According to the DLE, the verb jugar is used with that meaning followed by the a preposition:
intr. Entretenerse, divertirse tomando parte en uno de los juegos sometidos a reglas, medie o no en ...
- 77.2k
12
votes
¿Se dice "me alegro que" o "me alegro de que"?
El mismo artículo de la RAE que vinculas contesta tu pregunta en el punto 1. a):
Algunos de estos verbos, cuando se usan en forma pronominal (alegrarse, preocuparse, etc.), sí exigen un complemento ...
- 4,423
11
votes
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What "en..., a... de... de... yo" means in Spanish application form?
Location and date you are filling the form, like:
En Madrid, a 27 de febrero de 2018
Yo, Full Name,
occupation, domiciliado en full address
- 4,423
10
votes
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¿Se dice "me alegro que" o "me alegro de que"?
Hay dos opciones en este caso.
Me alegro de que las cosas te estén yendo bien
Me alegra que las cosas te estén yendo bien
En la primera, tenemos el verbo reflexivo, con la cláusula subordinada ...
- 29.9k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between "abajo," "debajo," and "bajo?"
Debajo and abajo are both locative adverbs. They are often paired with the preposition de to indicate a position relative to something specific, but can also be used alone — and then it's implied in ...
- 29.9k
10
votes
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What is the use of 'de' preposition in 'Yo voy *de* compras todos los sábados'
Ir de... + noun is a pattern that you can use with a number of nouns. The meaning is about the same as the English "to go ...-ing". It has a connotation of planning or intent.
The word ...
- 39.2k
10
votes
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Why do we not need "por" in the sentence "Llevo estudiando español 2 años."
The reason why "por" is not used in:
Llevo estudiando español dos años.
is that "dos años" is the direct object of the verb "llevar" (take), which can be considered ...
- 28.3k
9
votes
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"Fuimos al mercado por pan." Why not para?
Prepositions are, in my view, the most idiomatic words in the language.
In Spanish, we use:
ir por algo (go for something)
to mean that you go somewhere to look for or get something.
However, if ...
- 28.3k
8
votes
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The translation of 'at' in Spanish
I think both forms could be understood as correct, but a Spanish speaker would actually favor the prepositions por and de
Él aparece de noche. La Luna sale de noche.
Él aparece por la noche. La Luna ...
- 47.9k
8
votes
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Why is "a" used in "El olor 'a' las enchiladas circula" instead of "de"?
I let someone else talk extensively about prepositions, but your observation is right.
"El olor de las ..." means "The smell from..."
and the sentence
"El olor a ...." means "The smell of.......
- 10.6k
8
votes
Accepted
¿Es correcto usar dos "comos" y decir "tanto como X como como Y"?
Es perfectamente válido, tal y como puede leerse en la entrada de como del Diccionario panhispánico de dudas:
como. Palabra átona que, como tal, debe escribirse sin tilde, a diferencia del adverbio ...
- 77.2k
8
votes
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"La frase arriba "vs "la frase de arriba"
In English, "above" can be used as an adjective as well as an adverb (also as a preposition, by the way). However, "arriba" is just an adverb. It can never be used as an adjective.
...
8
votes
Why is 'de' used in 'Estoy totalmente *de* acuerdo'?
You shouldn't expect every expression in Spanish to be analyzable from the literal translation of its parts in English. De is a preposition that appears in many, many idioms and expressions, which ...
- 39.2k
8
votes
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"En nombre de quién" o "A nombre de quién"
Tu pregunta tiene cierta relación con la que se plantea aquí en nuestro foro hermano en relación a esa misma situación pero en inglés.
Desde mi punto de vista, la expresión idiomática sería "a ...
- 7,105
8
votes
Use of “al sol” vs “en el sol”
At least in Spain, "al sol" is the standard collocation to mean "directly illuminated by the Sun", which in English is also said "in the sun". The Diccionario de la ...
wimi♦
- 11.6k
8
votes
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Why do some write an "a" after the verb "convocar" and others omit it?
There are a couple of likely explanations for this. On the one hand, convocar has in fact two possible usage patterns. As the DPD says, it can mean both “call someone to something” or “call for ...
- 39.2k
7
votes
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Differing connotations of prepositions meaning "at" (en, de, a, etc...)
You can use "en" when using "at" as inside a building.
¿Por qué estás en mi casa?
(the subject "tu" (you) is hidden in this phrase as it can be understood from context)....
- 341
7
votes
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¿Cómo se dice: "nos vemos en lunes" o "nos vemos el lunes"? ¿Por qué?
Lo correcto sería decir "nos vemos el lunes", si te estás refiriendo a que nos veremos el próximo lunes.
Decir "nos vemos en lunes", aparte de sonar raro, da a entender que sólo nos vemos los lunes o ...
- 186
7
votes
¿Debo usar la 'a personal' con un personaje antropomorfo?
Sí. En todos tus ejemplos hay que incluir la "a". Se aplica a cualquier ser/personaje animado.
Apéndice: primer resultado en Google:
http://hispanoteca.eu/Gram%C3%A1ticas/Gram%C3%A1tica%...
- 4,814
7
votes
What preposition follows "gracias"?
Gracias a => Thanks to
Gracias por => Thanks for
You use one or the other depending on context, and can even use both together:
Thank(s to) you for bringing me => Gracias a ti por llevarme.
So the ...
- 203
7
votes
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«Cuidar que ...» vs «Cuidar de que ...»
According to this article on queísmo and dequeísmo, the standard form for introducing a subordinate clause is cuidar de que, and excluding it is an example of queísmo:
Cuidar [algo o a alguien] y ...
- 19.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Significado de "BASTA DE # DE HAMBRE"
Todo indica que la duplicación de la palabra DE es un error en la confección del cartel, y que el signo # indica un hashtag de Twitter (un prefijo que se usa convencionalmente para indicar que la ...
- 39.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Using the "a" preposition with "echar de menos" and a personal object
Note that the "related example" may not be as related as you think. In the sentence
A lo que yo temo es a la maldita casualidad
the object ("casualidad") is not a person, and even so it carries an ...
- 77.2k
7
votes
"a" vs "para" for purpose
The verbs "ir" and "venir" are usually used with "a"-adjuncts to indicate purpose. I'd even say that "a"-adjuncts are more usual in colloquial language than &...
- 28.3k
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