We know some Spanish verbs are always followed by the same preposition. However, some verbs do not need any preposition at all. Indeed they can change their meaning when they are followed by one. Today we are going to learn five Spanish verbs with and without prepositions.
Spanish Verbs With and Without Prepositions
As you can see, the list of Spanish verbs with and without prepositions contain the verbs
Dejar vs. Dejar de
Antonio dejó su pueblo para trabajar en la ciudad.
Antonio left his town to work in the city.
Miguel y Antonio dejaron sus libros en casa.
Miguel and Antonio left their books at home.
However,
La secretaria dejó de escribir el informe.
The secretary stopped writing the report.
No deja de llover. Espero que mañana haga sol.
It does not stop raining. I hope tomorrow it is sunny.
Please pay attention that in Spanish you should use the infinitive (-
Tratar vs. Tratar de
Por favor, trata con respeto a tu hermano.
Please treat your brother respectfully.
Ese vendedor no sabe tratar a sus clientes.
That seller does not know how to treat his clients.
Trataremos de llegar a las diez a tu casa.
We will try to arrive at ten to your house.
¿Por qué no tratas de hablar con Ana otra vez?
Why don’t you try to speak to Ana again?
Hacer vs. Hacer de
The main meaning of
¡Me encanta este diseño? ¿Lo has hecho tú solo?
I love this design. Have you made it on your own?
Hoy tiene que hacer los deberes de matemáticas.
Today he has to do his math homework.
En la obra del colegio, María hizo de astronauta.
In the school play, María played the role of an astronaut.
La joven actriz hace de teniente en su nueva película.
The young actress played the role of a lieutenant in her new movie.
Romper vs. Romper a
La niña rompió el florero de cristal de la entrada.
The girl broke the glass vase in the hall.
Han roto la puerta principal del edificio.
They have broken the building front door.
Many prepositions can also go with this verb. For example,
Rompieron a llorar cuando escucharon esta canción.
They burst into tears when they listened to this song.
Mi abuelo rompió a aplaudir en mitad de la calle.
My grandfather burst into applause in the middle of the street.
Quedar vs. Quedar en
Let’s finish reviewing Spanish verbs with and without prepositions with
¿Quedamos a las tres? Antes no voy a poder.
Shall we meet at three? I won’t be able to meet before.
Quedaron el viernes en la biblioteca para estudiar.
They met on Friday in the library to study.
However,
Habéis quedado en pintar la pared de naranja.
You have agreed to paint the wall orange.
Quedaste en ayudarme con los deberes de italiano.
You agreed to help me with the Italian homework.
Exercises
Let’s practice these Spanish verbs with and without prepositions with the following exercises.