8 Spanish Preposition Mistakes English Speakers Always Make
Pensar en, depender de, casarse con: 8 Spanish preposition mistakes English speakers make, why each one is wrong, the fix, and a quick self-test.
Nativia Team
Prepositions are the part of Spanish nobody warns you about. The verbs you can study. The vocab you can drill. But which tiny word goes after the verb is pure habit, and your English habits are wrong about half the time.
The good news is that these mistakes are predictable. English speakers trip over the same eight combinations again and again, because we translate the English preposition instead of learning the Spanish verb with its partner attached. Fix these eight and you sound noticeably more fluent, even if nothing else changes.
Quiz ahead: At the end of this article a short quiz tests you on fresh sentences. Question 5 catches almost everyone.Mistakes with "en"
1. Pensar sobre instead of pensar en
Wrong: Pienso sobre ti todos los días.
In English you think about someone, so "sobre" feels natural. But Spanish thinks in people and things. "Pensar sobre" exists, yet it means to reflect deeply on a topic, and nobody uses it for missing a person.
Right: Pienso en ti todos los días. (I think about you every day.)
Memory hook: picture the person sitting inside your head. You think en them.
2. Consistir de instead of consistir en
Wrong: El curso consiste de tres módulos.
"Consists of" slides straight into "consiste de", and it is wrong every time. Spanish uses "en".
Right: El curso consiste en tres módulos. (The course consists of three modules.)
Memory hook: "consistir en" and "pensar en" share the same partner. Two verbs, one word to remember.
3. Entrar + nothing
Wrong: Entré el bar y pedí una cerveza.
English "enter the bar" takes no preposition. Spanish needs one. In Spain you usually hear "entrar en", in Latin America "entrar a". Both are correct. Skipping it is not.
Right: Entré en el bar y pedí una cerveza. (I went into the bar and ordered a beer.)
Memory hook: you cannot enter without a door. "En" or "a" is the door.
Mistakes with "de"
4. Depender en instead of depender de
Wrong: Depende en el clima.
"Depends on" is probably the single most common preposition error I hear from English speakers. Spanish says "depende de", and with "el" it contracts to "del".
Right: Depende del clima. (It depends on the weather.)
Memory hook: say "depende de" out loud ten times. The two d sounds lock it in.
5. Enamorarse con instead of enamorarse de
Wrong: Me enamoré con ella en Cartagena.
You fall in love with someone in English. In Spanish you fall in love of them.
Right: Me enamoré de ella en Cartagena. (I fell in love with her in Cartagena.)
Memory hook: "de" also means from. Love comes from the person, so "enamorarse de".
Reading is step one. Speaking is what makes it stick.
Practice this in a real conversation, with instant feedback.
Mistakes with "con"
6. Casarse a instead of casarse con
Wrong: Mi primo se casó a una argentina.
"Married to" pulls you toward "a". Spanish marries with.
Right: Mi primo se casó con una argentina. (My cousin married an Argentinian woman.)
Memory hook: a wedding is two people together, and "con" is the together word.
7. Soñar de instead of soñar con
Wrong: Anoche soñé de mi examen.
"Dream of" or "dream about" becomes "soñar de" or "soñar sobre" in a learner's mouth. Both sound off. Spanish dreams with things.
Right: Anoche soñé con mi examen. (Last night I dreamed about my exam.)
Memory hook: pair it with casarse. You marry con someone, and you dream con them too. Romantic, and correct.
The mistake of adding a preposition that does not exist
8. Buscar por, esperar por, pedir por
Wrong: Busco por mis llaves. Espero por el bus. Pedí por la cuenta.
This one goes the other way. English says look for, wait for, ask for. The Spanish verbs already contain the "for", so adding "por" doubles it.
Right: Busco mis llaves. (I am looking for my keys.) Right: Espero el bus. (I am waiting for the bus.) Right: Pedí la cuenta. (I asked for the bill.)
Memory hook: buscar, esperar and pedir are "for" verbs. The "for" is baked in, so nothing goes after them.
Watch out:
- Esperar por does exist in some regions, mostly the Caribbean and parts of Latin America, but the standard form is still esperar with no preposition.
- Preguntar por alguien is correct, but it means asking after someone, not asking them a question.
Don't just memorize it. Say it out loud today.
Nativia turns what you just read into real conversations.
Why drilling will not fix this
You can know every rule above and still say "depende en" in a real conversation, because speech is faster than recall. These combinations only stick when you say them out loud, in sentences, with a bit of pressure. That is why Nativia scenarios throw you into situations where you have to produce "soñé con" or "me enamoré de" live, and then correct you on the spot. Reading about prepositions is step one. Saying them until they feel automatic is the part that counts.
Test yourself
New sentences, none of them from above. Pick the right option and check your answers.
Pick the correct preposition or the correct sentence, then check your answers.
1.Siempre pienso mi abuela cuando como tamales.
I always think about my grandmother when I eat tamales.
2.You need an ATM. Which sentence is correct?
3.Mi hermana se casó un chileno.
My sister married a Chilean man.
4.El examen consiste dos partes.
The exam consists of two parts.
5.A friend asks what you dreamed about last night. Which reply is right?
6.Todo depende precio.
It all depends on the price.
Cheat sheet
8 Spanish preposition mistakes and their fixes
| Verb | Wrong | Right | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| pensar | pensar sobre ti | pensar en ti | The person sits inside your head |
| consistir | consistir de | consistir en | Same partner as pensar |
| entrar | entrar el bar | entrar en / a el bar | You need a door to enter |
| depender | depender en | depender de | Two d sounds: depende de |
| enamorarse | enamorarse con | enamorarse de | Love comes from the person |
| casarse | casarse a | casarse con | Con is the together word |
| soñar | soñar de / sobre | soñar con | Marry con, dream con |
| buscar, esperar, pedir | buscar por, esperar por, pedir por | buscar, esperar, pedir | The for is baked into the verb |
Get instant feedback on your mistakes
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FAQ
Is "entrar a" or "entrar en" more correct?
Both are correct. "Entrar en" is the usual form in Spain, and "entrar a" dominates in most of Latin America. Pick the one that matches where you are, and never drop the preposition entirely.
Why does Spanish use "de" where English uses "with" or "on"?
There is no logic to memorize. Prepositions attach to verbs by convention, the same way English says "interested in" but "fond of". Learn each verb together with its preposition as one chunk, like depender de or soñar con, not as separate words.
Do these mistakes actually stop people from understanding me?
Rarely. Natives will understand "depende en el clima". But these errors are loud, they mark you instantly as a learner, and they are easy to fix. Clean prepositions are one of the cheapest ways to sound more fluent than you are.
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