Prepositions of Movement

Kurz erklärt

Spanish uses prepositions to show where a movement starts, where it ends, or which direction it follows. Use a for movement to a destination, hacia for movement toward something, hasta for the endpoint or limit of a journey, and desde for its starting point.

Bildung

movement verb + a/hacia/hasta + destination; desde + starting point; de + starting point + a + destination. The combination a + el becomes al.

Verwendung

• Use a when the destination is the goal: ir a la oficina.
• Use hacia when giving a direction without saying that the destination is reached.
• Use hasta for the point where movement stops or ends.
• Use desde for the place where movement begins, often together with hasta.
• Use de … a … to present both the starting point and destination.

Beispiele

• Mañana vamos al centro. — Tomorrow we are going downtown.
• El autobús va hacia el aeropuerto. — The bus is heading toward the airport.
• Caminamos hasta la estación. — We walked as far as the station.
• Viajaron desde Bogotá hasta Lima. — They traveled from Bogotá to Lima.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Voy en el banco.

✅ Voy al banco.

Use a, not en, when the place is the destination of movement. Remember that a + el contracts to al.

Merke

A points to a destination, while hacia points in a direction. Desde marks the start and hasta marks the endpoint.