Catalan prepositions

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Some general rules

A, de, and per can be merged with the masculine definite articles: el and els:

  • a + el = al
  • a + els = als
  • de + el = del
  • de + els = dels
  • per + el = pel
  • per + els = pels

Prepositions

a

  • location: sóc a l'escola - I'm at school
  • direction, motion towards somewhere - He anat al cementiri amb ma germana - I went to the graveyard with my sister.
  • indirect object: vaig vendre les meves calces a un pervertit - I sold my knickers to a pervert.
  • used with some verbs that require it: contribuir a" contribute to
  • used to link verbs, as "to" in English: aprendré a nedar quan els porcs volin - I'll learn to swim when pigs fly.

abans de

  • before: vaig ser capellà abans de convertir-me al satanisme - I was a priest before converting to Satanism.

a despit de

  • in spite of: Aznar mai no s'ha afaitat el bigoti a despit del fet que a ningú li agrada - Aznar has never shaved his moustache in spite of the fact nobody likes it.

al costat

  • next to veuràs un home disfressat de peix al costat del museu - you'll see a man dressed up in a fish costume next to the museum

al voltant

  • around: al voltant de la ciutat hi ha tot de fàbriques - there's plenty of factories around the city

amb

  • it translates as English "with" and it's basically the same: t'he vist amb un altre home! - I saw you with another man!

arran de

  • out of, concerning, with the motive of s'han fet manifestacions arran del 75è aniversari de la Segona República Espanyola - there have been demonstrations with the motive of the 75th anniversary of the Second Spanish Republic
  • (rare) next to els Vilabrega tenen una masia arran de mar - the Vilabregas have a country house next to the sea

cap a

  • towards: cap al Batmòbil! - to the Batmobile!

contra

  • against: el PP està en contra meva perquè sóc homosexual - the Popular Party is against me because I'm a homosexual

darrera / darrere

  • behind: els amants es varen amagar darrera els matolls - the lovers hid behind the bushes.

davant

  • in front of: la Montserrat viu davant d'una botiga de cactus - Montserrat lives in front of a cactus shop.

de

  • noun complement: nina de drap - rag doll, aneguet de goma - rubber ducky, noies de classe alta - upper class girls
  • possession: la perruca de l'Andy Warhol - Andy Warhol's wig
  • partitive: una mica de cocaïna - a little cocaine
  • used with some verbs that require it: m'he oblidat de comprar pasta de dents - I forgot to buy toothpaste.

d'ençà

  • (very formal or literary) since - D'ençà del seu naixement, el govern no ha fet més que enganyar-nos - Since its birth, the government has done nothing but deceiving us.

des de

  • from: he vingut a peu des de la botiga - I've come by foot from the shop
  • since des de la caiguda de l'Imperi Romà hi ha hagut una davallada en el nombre de casaments entre germans - since the fall of the Roman Empire there has been a drop in the number of marriages between siblings

després de

  • after: després de la tempesta sempre arriba la calma - There's always a calm after the storm.

devers

  • (not very used) about, more or less, around: A Nova Guinea es parlen devers mil llengües - Around 1000 languages are spoken in New Guinea.

durant

  • during, for: va estar cantant cançons de Mary Poppins durant el sopar - he sung Mary Poppins songs during all dinner.

en

  • location, when placed before demonstrative adjectives, indefinite articles and algun: en aquest poble només hi viuen vells" - only old people live in this town
  • used before infinitives: va immigrar a França en esclatar la guerra he/she immigrated to France when the war broke out.
  • used with some verbs that require it: vam pensar en anar-nos-en sense pagar - we thought about leaving without paying (note that the second "en" is not a preposition)

enfront de

  • in front of: Visc enfront del consulat afganès - I live in front of the Afghan consulate.

en lloc de

  • instead of: podries fer alguna cosa útil en lloc de passar-te el dia veient la tele - you could do something useful instead of vegging out all day in front of the TV

enmig de

  • amidst, in the middle of, between: hi ha un porc nedant enmig del llac - there's a pig swimming in the middle of the lake

entorn de

  • around: hi ha molta polèmica entorn de l'Estatut d'Autonomia... - there's a lot of controversy around the Statute of Autonomy

entre

  • between, among: tenim molts turistes alemanys entre abril i setembre - we get lots of German tourists from April to September

envers

  • towards, but in specific cases: violència envers els animals violence towards animals.

fins a

  • to, until, up to: la Inquisició no va desaparèixer fins al segle XIX - the Inquisition didn't disappear until the 19th century

llevat de

  • except, besides: 'no veig mai res a la televisió llevat dels debats polítics - I never watch anything on TV besides the political debates.

malgrat

  • in spite of malgrat que sóc tímid puc ser molt xarraire - I can be very talkative despite being shy

mitjançant

  • using, through, with the help of M'he pogut comprar l'apartament mitjançant un prèstec - I could buy my flat through a loan

per

  • reason, motive, cause, agent m'han acomiadat per haver trencar un plat - I've been fired for breaking a dish.

per a

  • destination: aquesta màscara xinesa és per a tu - this Chinese mask is for you

quant a

  • as for: quant al càstig que et mereixes, ho decidirem aviat - as for the punishment you deserve, we'll decide soon

segons

  • according to: segons la BBC, un meteorit destruirà Andorra - according to the BBC, a meteorite is going to destroy Andorra

sense / sens

  • without: si no envies aquest correu a quinze persones, et despertaràs sense mans ni peus - if you don't send this e-mail to 15 people you'll wake up without hands or feet

sobre

  • about: una pel·lícula sobre el comte Dràcula i les seves verges assassines - a film about Count Dracula and his killer virgins
  • above, on: he deixat els diners sobre la tauleta de nit - I left the money on the bedtable

sota

  • below, under: sota la sorra hi ha un cuc de color rosa - there's a pink worm under the sand.

tret de

  • besides, except: tret de tu i jo, no hi queda cap humà, a la Terra - besides you and I, there's no other human being on Earth

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