This post is part of the series Warming up for El Día E: Posts to Improve Your Spanish. El Día E is a world-wide celebration of the Spanish Language that will take place on June 23th, 2012.
Posts in this series to celebrate El Día E:
1. Join the Celebration of El Día E
2. To Ask for Something or To Ask a Question: PEDIR and PREGUNTAR
3. The Spanish Words for TO KNOW: SABER versus CONOCER
4. The Many Ways to Move in Spanish: MOVERSE, MUDARSE, TRASLADAR
5. How to Translate the Conjunction BUT to Spanish: PERO and SINO/SINO QUE
6. The Distinction Between PARECER and PARECERSE
7. Using the Verb HACER to Express Periods of Time
8. 4 Ways to Use the Preposition CON in Spanish [this post]
9. 13 Cool and Interesting Facts About the Spanish Language
4 Ways to Use the Preposition CON in Spanish
The word con translates to “with” and can be used in a few different ways in Spanish:
1. To express accompaniment, either physical or figurative, just like “with” in English.
Ayer fui a la playa con Elena. – Yesterday I went to the Beach with Elena.
¿Te gustaría ir al cine conmigo? – Would you like to go to the movies with me?
2. To express instrumentality, how something was done
Con las manos – with one’s hands
Con el lápiz – with a pencil
Con un martillo – with a hammer
3. For adverbial expressions of manner when combined with a noun
Hay que caminar con cuidado. – One must walk carefully.
Ella siempre trabaja con prisa. – She always works in a hurry.
4. Verbs that are used with con
There are several verbs that are generally followed by con. The direct translations do not always make sense in English, but it is the correct use in Spanish.
Acabar con – to put an end to, finish something off
Amenezar con –to threaten with
Casarse con – to marry
Comparar(se) con –to compare (oneself) to
Comprometerse con –to get engaged to
Contar con – to count on
Contentarse con – to be content with
Contribuir con – to contribute
Cumplir con – to comply with (duty or obligations)
Encariñarse con –to get attached to
Encontrarse con – to meet with
Enfrentarse con – to confront
Enojarse con – to get angry at
Preocuparse con – to worry about
Soñar con – to dream of
Tropezar con – to stumble over
Check out these other articles about the Spanish Language.
Featured photo credit: Day 51 – Together by Cristiano Betta via flickr
