PREPOSITIONS AFTER VERBS BEFORE AN INFINITIVE The following is a list of the more commonly used verbs taking a direct

infinitive:To advise to To affirm To confess to To manage to To believe Should, must To decide to To let, allow To desire to To choose to To hope, expect to To avoid To pretend to To be pleasing to To do, make To prevent, hinder To try to, attempt to Note: If there is a change of subject, the subjunctive + que may be required:Examples: Necesito que lo hagas cuanto antes, I need you to do it ASAP. Prefiero que no vengas, I prefer you not to come. To swear To succeed To deserve to To need to To appear, seem to To intend to To permit to To be able To prefer To try to To forbid to To promise to To propose to To want to To know how to To be sorry to To be used to

Verbs of perception such as or, to hear; ver, to see are followed by an infinitive coming immediately after them:Examples: Vio entrar al hombre, He saw the man going in. Oigo cantar a las chicas, I hear the girls singing.

The following verbs take the preposition a before a verb, although para (in order to) may sometimes be substituted:Verbs of motion ir, to go; venir, to come; correr, to run; subir, to go up; bajar, to go down; entrar, to enter; acercarse, to approach; etc Vino a verme, he came to see me.

Example:

The following is a list of the more commonly used verbs taking a with an infinitive:To give oneself up to To get used to To encourage to To apply oneself to To aspire to To dare to To do (career) To stop to To get ready to To send to To expose oneself to To force to To authorise to To venture to To help to To undertake to To condemn to to decide to To oblige to To object to To stop to To persuade to To prepare to To remain to 1

To incite to To induce to To invite to To limit oneself to To succeed in To refuse to

To reduce to To renounce To resign oneself to To resist To resolve to To do again

The following is a list of the more commonly used verbs taking de with an infinitive:To have just To remember To accuse of To be glad to To repent of To be ashamed of To be tired of To cease to To take care of To stop To not fail to To neglect To despair of To desist from To excuse from To dissuade from To entrust with To undertake to To excuse from To take care not to To have to To grow tired of To be annoyed at To be indignant at To boast of To forget to To not help but To be deprived of To complain of To suspect of To finish To try to To be a question of

The following is a list of the more commonly used verbs taking en with an infinitive:To take pleasure in To consent to To consist of To agree to To take a delight in To amuse oneself in To hesitate to To insist on To amuse oneself in To strive to To succeed in To fail to To do well (badly) in To insist on To be busy with To think of To persist in To agree to/on To take time to To hesitate to

The following is a list of the more commonly used verbs taking por/para/con with an infinitive:To finish by To begin by To begin by To still to be done To fight for To congratulate on To be interested in To be used for To be about to To dream of To threaten with To count on

PREPOSITIONS AFTER VERBS BEFORE A NOUN The following is a list of commonly used verbs taking de with a noun or pronoun:To abuse To remember To feed on To be frightened To make fun of To change To lack To be sorry for To realise To depend on To mistrust To enjoy To doubt To enquire about To enjoy To be informed about To wonder at To forget To exceed To laugh at To use To triumph over To take revenge for

The following is a list of commonly used verbs taking a with a noun or pronoun:Acercarse a Aproximarse a Arrimarse a Asemejarse a Asomarse a Asistir a Dar a Faltar a To approach To approach To lean against To resemble To lean out of To attend To overlook To break promise Fiarse a Llegar a Oler a Oponerse a Parecerse a Renunciar a Resistir a Saber a To trust To reach (place) To smell of To oppose To resemble To renounce To resist To taste of, smack of

The following is a list of commonly used verbs which take a preposition in English but in Spanish take a direct object:Agradecer Aguantar Aprovechar Buscar Cuidar Escuchar Esperar To be grateful for To put up with To take advantage of To look for To look after To listen to To wait for Mirar Pedir Recordar Reprochar Sealar Sentir Soportar To look at To ask for To remind of To reproach with to point to To be sorry about To put up with

Some Spanish verbs change meaning when followed by a specific preposition:Acordarse con Contar Convenir a Entender Preguntar Saber To agree with To count, relate To suit To understand To ask a question To know Acordarse de Contar con Convenir con Entender de Preguntar por Saber de To remember To count, rely on To agree with To know all about To ask for To know about

The following verbs take the preposition a with persons to translate from or of:Arrancar Comprar Esconder Ocultar Examples: To snatch To buy To hide To conceal Pedir Quitar Robar Tomar To ask for To take away from To steal To take

Me rob el dinero a m, he stole the money from me. Compr el coche al profesor, he bought the car from the teacher.

JCW 01.01.06