Now that you know the names of places, it's time to describe where they are! In this lesson, you'll learn prepositions of place — near, far, next to, in front of, behind, between. You'll also discover the difference between 'estar' and 'quedar' for location. By the end, you'll be able to give and understand basic location descriptions.
Learning tips
- Think of prepositions as spatial building blocks — learn them in pairs of opposites: cerca/lejos, enfrente de/detrás de.
- Practice by describing the layout of your room or home in Spanish: 'La cama está al lado de la ventana.'
- The verb 'quedar' is very common in Colombia for permanent locations — 'El banco queda en la calle 7' (The bank is located on 7th street).
- 'Al lado de' literally means 'at the side of' — this kind of literal breakdown helps remember compound prepositions.
Warm-up & Active Recall
Recap: In Lesson 4.1, you learned the verb 'estar' for location (¿Dónde está el banco?) and 'hay' for existence (Hay un parque en la calle). You also learned 10 common city places.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la calle | the street |
| la tienda | the store |
| el parque | the park |
| el banco | the bank |
| el hospital | the hospital |
| el supermercado | the supermarket |
| la farmacia | the pharmacy |
| la iglesia | the church |
| el restaurante | the restaurant |
| la plaza | the plaza |
Dialog
Valentina asks Andrés about the location of various places in the city. Notice the natural use of prepositions: 'cerca de' (near), 'lejos' (far), 'al lado de' (next to), 'enfrente de' (in front of), 'detrás de' (behind), and 'entre' (between). Both 'estar' and 'quedar' are used for location — 'quedar' is preferred for fixed/permanent locations of buildings in Colombian Spanish.
Valentina
Perdón, ¿dónde queda el museo? ¿Está cerca de aquí?
(Excuse-me, where stays the museum? Is near of here?)
Excuse me, where is the museum located? Is it near here?
Andrés
No, el museo queda lejos. Está detrás de la iglesia.
(No, the museum stays far. Is behind of the church.)
No, the museum is far. It's behind the church.
Valentina
¿Y la biblioteca? ¿Dónde queda?
(And the library? Where stays?)
And the library? Where is it located?
Andrés
La biblioteca queda al lado de la farmacia, aquí cerca.
(The library stays next-to of the pharmacy, here near.)
The library is next to the pharmacy, nearby here.
Valentina
¿Y el banco? ¿Queda enfrente de la plaza?
(And the bank? Stays in-front of the plaza?)
And the bank? Is it located in front of the plaza?
Andrés
Sí, el banco queda enfrente de la plaza, entre la tienda y el restaurante.
(Yes, the bank stays in-front of the plaza, between the store and the restaurant.)
Yes, the bank is in front of the plaza, between the store and the restaurant.
Valentina
Perfecto. ¿Y el hospital? ¿Está allí, detrás del parque?
(Perfect. And the hospital? Is there, behind of-the park?)
Perfect. And the hospital? Is it there, behind the park?
Andrés
No, el hospital no está allí. Queda lejos, en la avenida principal.
(No, the hospital not is there. Stays far, on the avenue main.)
No, the hospital isn't there. It's far, on the main avenue.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| cerca | /ˈseɾ.ka/ | near, close | Often used with 'de': cerca de la plaza (near the plaza) |
| lejos | /ˈle.xos/ | far, far away | Often used with 'de': lejos de aquí (far from here) |
| al lado de | /al ˈla.ðo ðe/ | next to, beside | Compound preposition — 'al lado de la tienda' (next to the store) |
| enfrente de | /en.ˈfɾen.te ðe/ | in front of, across from | Compound preposition — 'enfrente de la iglesia' (in front of the church) |
| detrás de | /de.ˈtɾas ðe/ | behind, in back of | Compound preposition — 'detrás de la farmacia' (behind the pharmacy) |
| entre | /ˈen.tɾe/ | between | Used with two things: 'entre el banco y la tienda' (between the bank and the store) |
| aquí | /a.ˈki/ | here | Points to the speaker's location |
| allí | /a.ˈʝi/ | there, over there | Points to a location away from the speaker |
| ¿dónde? | /ˈdon.de/ | where? | Question word for location — ¿Dónde está? / ¿Dónde queda? |
| quedar | /ke.ˈðaɾ/ | to be located, to be (for places) | Used in Colombia for permanent locations of buildings and places |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a la derecha | /a la de.ˈɾe.tʃa/ | to the right | |
| a la izquierda | /a la is.ˈkjeɾ.ða/ | to the left | |
| la dirección | /di.ɾek.ˈsjon/ | the address, the direction | |
| la cuadra | /ˈkwa.ðɾa/ | the block (city block) | Very common in Latin America for giving directions |
| arriba | /a.ˈri.βa/ | up, above | |
| abajo | /a.ˈβa.xo/ | down, below |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| ¿dónde queda? | where is it located? |
| cerca de aquí | near here, nearby |
Pronunciation: Pay attention to the stress in 'detrás' (de-TRÁS) and 'enfrente' (en-FREN-te). In compound prepositions, the stress falls on the main word, not the 'de' that follows. Also, 'aquí' has the stress on the last syllable: a-KÍ.
Grammar: Prepositions of place — 'estar' vs. 'quedar' for location
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| en | in, on, at | El banco está en la calle. |
| cerca de | near, close to | La tienda está cerca de la plaza. |
| lejos de | far from | El hospital está lejos de aquí. |
| al lado de | next to | La farmacia está al lado del banco. |
| enfrente de | in front of, across from | El parque está enfrente de la iglesia. |
| detrás de | behind | El restaurante está detrás de la tienda. |
| entre | between | El banco está entre la tienda y la farmacia. |
| Verb | Use |
|---|---|
| estar | temporary location, current position |
| quedar | permanent/fixed location of buildings, places |
Prepositions of place let you describe where things are in relation to each other.
The most important ones are:
- en = in, on, at
- cerca de = near, close to
- lejos de = far from
- al lado de = next to, beside
- enfrente de = in front of, across from
- detrás de = behind, in back of
- entre = between
Notice that most compound prepositions end with de (of). When 'de' meets 'el,' they contract to del: 'al lado del banco' (next to the bank), NOT 'al lado de el banco.'
Estar vs. Quedar:
Both can express location, but there's a subtle difference:
- Estar = current/general location (works for people and things)
- Quedar = fixed/permanent location (preferred for buildings and places in Colombian Spanish)
Examples:
- 'El banco queda en la calle 7.' (The bank is located on 7th street — permanent)
- 'Yo estoy en el banco.' (I am at the bank — my current location)
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the missing preposition.
- La farmacia está de la plaza.(a preposition meaning 'near')
- El banco queda del hospital.(a compound preposition meaning 'next to')
- El restaurante está la tienda y el parque.(a preposition meaning 'between')
- ¿ queda el supermercado?(a question word meaning 'where')
- El museo queda , no está cerca.(a word meaning 'far')
Grammar Application
Fill in the correct preposition based on the English clue.
- The pharmacy is next to the bank. → La farmacia está del banco.(next to)
- The museum is behind the church. → El museo queda de la iglesia.(behind)
- The park is far from here. → El parque está de aquí.(far from)
- The store is in front of the restaurant. → La tienda está del restaurante.(in front of)
- The hospital is between the bank and the pharmacy. → El hospital está el banco y la farmacia.(between)
Translation (English → Spanish)
Translate each sentence into Spanish.
- Where is the bank located?
- The pharmacy is near here.
- The hospital is far away.
- The park is next to the church.
- The restaurant is in front of the store.
Creative Construction
Describe the location of 3 places in relation to each other. Use at least 3 different prepositions and both 'estar' and 'quedar.'
Takeaway
Use prepositions of place (cerca de, lejos de, al lado de, enfrente de, detrás de, entre) with 'estar' or 'quedar' to describe where things are. Remember: de + el = del.
Culture note: In Bogotá's historic neighborhood La Candelaria, the streets follow a grid system with 'calles' running east-west and 'carreras' running north-south. When Colombians give directions, they often use 'cuadras' (blocks) as the primary unit of distance: 'Queda a dos cuadras' means 'It's two blocks away.' This block-based system is much more practical than meters or kilometers for navigating cities. You'll also hear 'quedar' used constantly — it's the go-to verb for asking where a place is located.
Sign in to track your progress.