# Verbs, Adjectives and Nouns with Fixed Prepositions

https://langs123.com/en/spanish/preposiciones/regimen-preposicional/
CEFR B2–C2 · 2026-10-19 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> Verbs, adjectives and nouns call for a fixed preposition before their complement: contar con, capaz de, la idea de. The verb's preposition stays before que, and none is added if the verb takes none: Me alegro de que vengas. Creo que vienes.

## Cheatsheet

| Point | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| verb + a + infinitive | the verb takes the preposition before the infinitive | Se negó a responder. | He refused to answer. |
| verb + preposition + que + clause | the preposition stays; the meaning decides the mood | Cuento con que vengas. | I'm counting on you to come. |
| With and without a preposition | the preposition changes the meaning of the verb | Cuento un chiste. / Cuento con mi hermano. | I tell a joke. / I count on my brother. |
| Fixed construction | the preposition is part of the verb | Me di cuenta de mi error. | I realised my mistake. |
| difícil + de + infinitive | the subject receives the action of the infinitive | Este texto es difícil de leer. | This text is hard to read. |
| Two constructions | some verbs take a direct object or a prepositional object | Cuida a Ana. / Cuida de Ana. | He looks after Ana. / He takes care of Ana. |
| noun + preposition + infinitive | the noun takes de or a before the infinitive | Siento el deseo de volver. | I feel the desire to return. |
| adjective + preposition + infinitive | before an infinitive or an indirect question | Estoy deseoso de verte. | I'm eager to see you. |
| adjective + de + noun | the adjective agrees with the subject or, after de, with the noun | Luisa es corta de entendimiento. / Luisa es de entendimiento corto. | Luisa is slow-witted. / Luisa is slow of understanding. |
| Thing as object | contestar a allows la; referirse a does not | La contestó. / Se refirió a ella. | He answered it. / He referred to it. |
| Trap | before que, the verb keeps its preposition | Me alegro de que hayas ido. | I'm glad you went. |
| Trap | if the verb takes no preposition, none is added before que | Pienso que tienes razón. | I think you're right. |

## Verbs with a preposition before an infinitive or que

| Verb | Preposition | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| decidirse | a + infinitive | Al final me decidí a ir. | In the end I decided to go. |
| negarse | a + infinitive | Se negó a responder. | He refused to answer. |
| atreverse | a + infinitive | No me atrevo a decir la verdad. | I don't dare tell the truth. |
| animar | a + infinitive | Mis amigos me animaron a viajar. | My friends encouraged me to travel. |
| ayudar | a + infinitive | Mi tío me ayudó a mudarme. | My uncle helped me move house. |
| aprender | a + infinitive | Aprendí a nadar de niño. | I learnt to swim as a child. |
| empezar | a + infinitive | De repente empezó a llover. | Suddenly it began to rain. |
| contar | con que + clause | Cuento con que vengas. | I'm counting on you to come. |
| depender | de que + clause | La excursión depende de que no llueva. | The trip depends on it not raining. |
| insistir | en que + clause | Insiste en que nos quedemos. | He insists that we stay. |
| confiar | en que + clause | Confío en que todo salga bien. | I trust that everything goes well. |

- Depender de que takes the subjunctive: the clause expresses a condition. Todo depende de que haya plazas. — Everything depends on there being places.
- Insistir en que takes the subjunctive if it asks for something, and the indicative if it states something. Insiste en que vengamos. / Insiste en que tiene razón. — He insists that we come. / He insists that he is right.
- Contar con que and confiar en que take the indicative for an expected fact, the subjunctive for a wish. Cuento con que vendrás. / Cuento con que vengas. — I expect you will come. / I'm counting on you to come.
- On the mood of clauses, see Subjunctive for Wishes, Doubt and Opinions.

## The same verb with and without a preposition

| Without a preposition | With a preposition | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| contar: to tell | contar con: to rely on someone or take them into account | Cuento un chiste. / Cuento con mi hermano. | I tell a joke. / I count on my brother. |
| pensar: to hold an opinion or to intend | pensar en: to have something in mind | Pienso comprar un coche. / Pienso en mi familia. | I plan to buy a car. / I think about my family. |
| hablar: to use a language | hablar de: to discuss a subject | Hablo inglés. / Hablamos de política. | I speak English. / We talk about politics. |
| tratar: to treat someone in some way | tratar de: to try; tratar con: to deal with someone | Trata bien a todos. / Trato de llegar temprano. / Trato con muchos clientes. | He treats everyone well. / I try to arrive early. / I deal with many customers. |
| dejar: to put something in a place | dejar de: to stop doing something | Dejé las llaves en la mesa. / Dejé de fumar. | I left the keys on the table. / I stopped smoking. |
| quedar: to stay or to be left | quedar en: to agree on something | Quedan dos días. / Quedamos en vernos a las ocho. | Two days are left. / We agreed to meet at eight. |
| acabar: to finish something | acabar con: to put an end to something or use it up | Acabó el informe a las seis. / Acabaron con las galletas. | He finished the report at six. / They finished off the biscuits. |
| salir: to go out | salir con: to be in a relationship with someone | Salgo a las ocho. / Salgo con Marta desde hace dos años. | I leave at eight. / I've been going out with Marta for two years. |

## Fixed constructions

| Verb | Preposition | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| darse cuenta | de | Me di cuenta de mi error. | I realised my mistake. |
| reparar | en | No reparé en su presencia. | I did not notice his presence. |
| fijarse | en | Fíjate en la fecha. | Look at the date. |
| consistir | en | El trabajo consiste en revisar textos. | The job consists of checking texts. |
| depender | de | El precio depende del tamaño. | The price depends on the size. |
| enamorarse | de | Se enamoró de una vecina. | He fell in love with a neighbour. |
| soñar | con | Anoche soñé con el mar. | Last night I dreamt about the sea. |
| tropezar | con | Tropecé con un escalón. | I tripped on a step. |

- Before a pronoun, the preposition stays and the pronoun takes its stressed form: Me enamoré de ti. / Soñé con ella. — I fell in love with you. / I dreamt about her.
- Prepositions of place and time: see Prepositions of Place and Time; por and para: Por and Para.

## Adjectives with a preposition

| Pattern | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| difícil + de + infinitive | With fácil, difícil and imposible, the subject receives the action of the infinitive. | Este texto es difícil de leer. | This text is hard to read. |
| ser + adjective + infinitive | The impersonal sentence says the same, with no preposition. | Es difícil leer este texto. | It is hard to read this text. |
| adjective + de + noun | Adjectives such as partidario, consciente and responsable take de before the noun. | Somos partidarios de un cambio. | We are in favour of a change. |
| capaz + de + infinitive | Adjectives of ability take de before the infinitive. | Es capaz de aprender solo. | He is able to learn on his own. |
| interesado + en + infinitive | The subject of the adjective and that of the infinitive are the same. | Estoy interesado en asistir. | I'm interested in attending. |
| interesado + en que + clause | With a different subject, the clause takes the subjunctive. | Estamos interesados en que vengas. | We are interested in you coming. |

## Direct object or prepositional object

| Direct object | Prepositional object | Pronoun |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cuida a Ana. — He looks after Ana. | Cuida de Ana. — He takes care of Ana. | La cuida. / Cuida de ella. — He looks after her. / He takes care of her. |
| Olvidé la cita. — I forgot the appointment. | Me olvidé de la cita. — I forgot about the appointment. | La olvidé. / Me olvidé de ella. — I forgot it. / I forgot about it. |
| Recuerdo la fecha. — I remember the date. | Me acuerdo de la fecha. — I do remember the date. | La recuerdo. / Me acuerdo de ella. — I remember it. / I do remember it. |
| Contestó a nuestras preguntas. — He answered our questions. | Se refirió a nuestras preguntas. — He referred to our questions. | Las contestó. / Se refirió a ellas. — He answered them. / He referred to them. |

- Atreverse a and osar mean the same; the pronominal verb takes a. No me atrevo a decirlo. / No oso decirlo. — I don't dare say it. / I dare not say it.
- With contestar, the thing is replaced by lo or la, and the person by le. La pregunta, la contestó con calma. / A Ana, le contestó con calma. — She answered the question calmly. / She answered Ana calmly.
- On lo, la, le and the personal a: see Direct Object Pronouns and Personal a.

## Nouns and adjectives with a clause

| Pattern | Rule | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| noun + de + infinitive | The noun takes de before an infinitive with the same subject. | Siento el deseo de volver. | I feel the desire to return. |
| noun + de + haber + past participle | The compound infinitive presents the fact as completed. | Me alegra la idea de habernos reunido otra vez. | The idea of having got together again makes me happy. |
| noun + a + infinitive | Nouns of fear, such as temor, allow a before the infinitive. | Me paraliza el temor a perderte. | The fear of losing you paralyses me. |
| noun + de que + clause | With a different subject, the clause takes de que and the subjunctive. | Tengo el temor de que no llegue a tiempo. | I fear that he won't arrive on time. |
| adjective + de + infinitive | Adjectives of desire, such as deseoso, take de before the infinitive. | Estoy deseoso de verte. | I'm eager to see you. |
| adjective + a + infinitive | Decidido, dispuesto and acostumbrado take a before the infinitive. | Está decidida a contarlo. | She is determined to tell it. |
| adjective + en + indirect question | Before an indirect question, the adjective keeps its preposition. | Estoy interesado en cómo es tu trabajo. | I'm interested in what your job is like. |

## The preposition before que

| With a preposition | Without a preposition |
| --- | --- |
| Me alegro de que hayas ido. — I'm glad you went. | Celebro que hayas ido. — I'm delighted you went. |
| Me acuerdo de que cerraban a las diez. — I remember that they used to close at ten. | Recuerdo que cerraban a las diez. — I recall that they used to close at ten. |
| Me di cuenta de que faltaba un libro. — I realised that a book was missing. | Noté que faltaba un libro. — I noticed that a book was missing. |
| Insisto en que lo revises. — I insist that you check it. | Exijo que lo revises. — I demand that you check it. |
| Estoy seguro de que vendrá. — I'm sure he will come. | Pienso que vendrá. — I think he will come. |

- If the question has the preposition, so does que: ¿En qué te fijaste? Me fijé en que la puerta estaba abierta. — What did you notice? I noticed that the door was open.
- Nouns with de que: see Noun Complements.

## Adjectives with a noun complement

| Pattern | Agreement | Example | English |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| adjective + de + noun | The adjective agrees with the subject. | Luisa es corta de entendimiento. | Luisa is slow-witted. |
| de + noun + adjective | The adjective agrees with the noun. | Luisa es de entendimiento corto. | Luisa is slow of understanding. |
| The two constructions | They say the same; only the agreement changes. | Mis hermanos son largos de piernas. = Mis hermanos son de piernas largas. | My brothers are long-legged. = My brothers have long legs. |

- The noun is usually a part of the body or a trait of character: Es baja de estatura y fácil de carácter. — She is short and easy-going.

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Se negó de responder. | Se negó a responder. | negarse takes a before the infinitive |
| Pienso de mi familia. | Pienso en mi familia. | pensar takes en to have something in mind |
| Soñé de mi abuela. | Soñé con mi abuela. | soñar takes con |
| Este texto es difícil leer. | Este texto es difícil de leer. | if the subject is what is read, the adjective takes de |
| Dejé fumar. | Dejé de fumar. | dejar de means to stop doing something |
| Quedamos a vernos a las ocho. | Quedamos en vernos a las ocho. | quedar en means to agree on something |
| Me alegro que hayas ido. | Me alegro de que hayas ido. | before que, the verb keeps its preposition |
| Estoy seguro que vendrá. | Estoy seguro de que vendrá. | before que, the adjective keeps its preposition |
| Pienso de que tienes razón. | Pienso que tienes razón. | pensar takes no preposition before que |
| Me acuerdo la fecha. | Me acuerdo de la fecha. | acordarse takes de; recordar takes no preposition |
| Está decidida de contarlo. | Está decidida a contarlo. | decidido takes a before the infinitive |
| Luisa es de entendimiento corta. | Luisa es de entendimiento corto. | after de and the noun, the adjective agrees with the noun |
| Mis hermanos son largas de piernas. | Mis hermanos son largos de piernas. | before de and the noun, the adjective agrees with the subject |
| La pregunta, le contestó con calma. | La pregunta, la contestó con calma. | with a thing as complement, contestar takes la, not le |