How to Teach Prepositions in Spanish
In Spanish as well as English, prepositions are words that give the location of an object or show the relationship between objects. For example, on, above, below, beneath and over are all prepositions. Spanish has 19 commonly used prepositions that are relatively easy to teach. The main difference between English and Spanish prepositions is that the Spanish language sometimes omits them with certain verbs. Spanish also has some unique prepositional phrases.
Things You'll Need
- Spanish language textbook with section on prepositions
- Spanish-English dictionary
- Pen and paper
- Art that demonstrates prepositions
Instructions
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1
Prepare a vocabulary sheet listing all the prepositions in Spanish, including prepositions with infinitives, nouns, pronouns and verbs. You can either do a simple English/Spanish word list or get creative and use pictures showing the meaning of the Spanish word without any English.
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Give students the vocabulary sheet and review the pronunciation and meaning of each preposition. Also discuss prepositional phrases and situations where there is no preposition in Spanish. Use visual aids if possible to relate an action to the preposition.
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3
Explain to the students how the meaning of a preposition can change depending on context. For example, "para" can indicate that an object is intended for someone, its destination, as well as the concepts "until" and "in order to."
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4
Play a game a la Simon Says where students must place objects according the prepositions their fellow students say. This is a great way to engage kinesthetic learners.
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5
Play a version of musical chairs where, when the music stops, students must place themselves or an object according the preposition called out.
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6
Play preposition bingo.
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7
Create a worksheet with sentences containing prepositions and pictures. Have students match the phrases to the picture showing prepositional meaning.
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8
Read stories in Spanish and ask students to identify prepositions in the text.
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9
Have students create their own sentences using prepositions. Students may enjoy writing about how their bedrooms are arranged or translating a recipe or other how-to such as decorating a Christmas tree. Give them a goal of using a total of five or more prepositions.
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Tips & Warnings
To encourage participation, consider rewarding students brave enough to speak Spanish in front of the entire class with chocolate or some other small token. A good textbook makes teaching Spanish easy; spend some time at a bookstore looking through language books to find one that fits your teaching style. Repetition is the key to learning a language, so provide lots of review and opportunities for practice. Always teach concepts in a variety of ways, and engage as many senses as possible to accommodate different learning styles.
Resources
- Photo Credit talesin
