Las preposiciones de lugar se colocan detrás del verbo principal, que suele ser el verbo

“to be” (estar, ser) en cualquiera de los tiempos pasados, presentes o futuros y en sus
formas tanto simples como compuestas.

Ya hemos visto los diferentes usos de las tres preposiciones más comunes (“in”, “at”,
“on”) en la lección anterior. A continuación encontrarás otras preposiciones de lugar.

NEXT TO (BESIDE)

Significado: al lado de, junto a

Uso: Tanto “next to” como “beside” se pueden utilizar indistintamente. Utilizar una forma
u otra dependerá del hablante y del contexto.

Ejemplos:

  The supermarket is next to (beside) the bank.(El supermercado está al lado del banco.)
  Sit next to (beside) me.(Siéntate a mi lado.)

BY

Significado: cerca, al lado de, junto a

Uso: Se puede utilizar en los mismos contextos que “next to” pero el significado de “by”
es más como “cerca” en castellano.

Ejemplos:

  I sit by the window.(Me siento al lado de la ventana.)

  Our house is by the river.(Nuestra casa está cerca del río.)

BETWEEN

Significado: entre

Ejemplos:

The shop is between the bank and the train station.(La tienda está entre el banco y la
 
estación de tren.)
  She is standing between Peter and John.(Ella está de pie entre Pedro y Juan.)

BEHIND

Significado: detrás de
Ejemplos:

  The church is behind the school.(La iglesia está detrás de la escuela.)

  He is standing behind you.(Está de pie detrás de ti.)

IN FRONT OF vs. OPPOSITE

Significado: contrario, en frente de, opuesto, delante de

Uso: La diferencia entre estas preposiciones la notamos cuando estamos hablando de

personas: “opposite” significa delante y cara a cara, en cambio “in front of” significa
delante de pero no cara a cara.

Ejemplos:

  The hotel is in front of the station.(El hotel está en frente de la estación.)

  The bank is opposite the market.(El banco está delante del mercado.)
  Laura is standing in front of you.(Laura está de pie delante de ti.)
  She is sitting opposite me.(Se está sentando en frente de mí.)

UNDER

Significado: debajo de

Ejemplos:

  The ball is under the chair.(La pelota está debajo de la silla.)

  The dog is under the tree.(El perro está debajo del árbol.)

ABOVE

Significado: por encima sin tocar

Ejemplo:

  The clock is above the table.(El reloj está por encima de la mesa, en la misma pared.)

BELOW

Significado: por debajo sin tocar

Ejemplo:

  The table is below the clock.(La mesa está por debajo del reloj, en la misma pared.)
Location Prepositions
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The prepositions of location at, in, on and aboard are a bit more complicated than basic
position prepositions. Location prepositions are associated with specific types of locations,
which must be memorized.

Sometimes, the location prepositions are logical. For example, in a house makes sense
because you are physically standing inside the house. Other location prepositions are less
logical. For example, on a bus means inside the bus rather than standing on top of the bus.
Here is a list of location prepositions and the types of locations they are associated with.
Scroll down for example sentences, usage notes, and location preposition exercises.

Preposition Locations

at specific locations, addresses, companies, stores, events, parties, desks, counters

enclosed spaces, buildings, organizations, regions, water, deserts, mountain ranges,

in
forests, cities, countries, continents, the sky, space, cars, groups of people, little boats

surfaces, roads, corners, shores, single mountains, islands, planets, public

on
transportation, bikes, big boats, stairs, balconies, walkways

aboard boats, planes, trains

To help you understand the types of locations listed above, here are some real-life examples
of at, in and on to get you started. There is a discussion of aboard further down the page.

At In On

at work in class on the floor

at home in college on the ground

at the bank in the hospital on the freeway

at the beach in my car on the lawn

at 123 Main Street in a taxi on the subway

at IKEA in a canoe on the Titanic

at the party in the sky on the plane

at the bus stop in the universe on Mount Everest

at the ticket counter in the army on the stairs

at my desk in the Rocky Mountains on Mars

at the dinner table in the Pacific on the shore

at the exit in the crowd on the sidewalk

at the supermarket in the theater on the balcony

at the wedding in China on Catalina Island

at the post office in Africa on his motorcycle

At School vs. In School

It's important to remember that each preposition expresses an idea. For example, at
expresses the idea of being at a specific location, whereas in expresses the idea of being in
an institution. For this reason, at school and in school have two very difference meanings.
Take a look at the examples below to understand the difference.

Examples:

 Tom wasn't at home; he was at school. at that location

 Fred doesn't have a job yet because he is still in school. enrolled in the institution of school

On a Street vs. In the Street

Again, different prepositions have different meanings. On is generally used for street
locations (on Main Street), whereas in is used to talk about standing in the middle of the
street.

Examples:

 My house was on Delaney Street. at that location

 The car almost hit him because he was in the street. standing in the middle of the street

At the Beach vs. On the Beach

As described above, you must remember the meanings of the prepositions. At the beach is
referring to the location. On the beach suggests the idea of being on the shore (standing on
the sand.)

Examples:

 Sarah wasn't at school; she was at the beach. at that location

 Lisa wasn't in the ocean when she saw the shark. Luckily, she was on the beach. on the
sand
In Water vs. On Water

Once again, the difference depends on the meaning of the prepositions. When you are in
water, you are swimming in the water. However, when you are on water, you are floating
on the surface of the water in a boat OR you are standing on the shore of that body of
water. This applies to lakes, rivers, oceans and other bodies of water.

Examples:

 We were in the sea all day. swimming

 We were on the sea all day. in a boat
 I have a beautiful house on the sea. on the shore

In a Boat vs. On a Boat vs. Aboard a Boat

The word boat is a little more complicated. When English speakers are in small boats, they
feel that they are inside something like a car, so they use the preposition in. On large boats
or ships, it feels more like public transportation and they prefer to use the word on rather
than in.

The preposition aboard is usually used in more formal language with large passenger
vehicles such as planes, trains and ships and is often used to emphasize the moment you
first step onto the vehicle. It is most commonly heard in the expression welcome aboard.

Location

Two things can be next to each other. (For example, A is next to B in the alphabet.)

One thing can be between (or in between) two other things. (For example, B is between A
and C in the alphabet.)

One thing can be near another. For example, London is near Oxford.

The opposite of near is far from. For example, Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is far
from London.

One thing can be opposite another thing. If you are sitting face to face with another person,
then you are sitting opposite that person.

If you are in a queue, someone can be behind you (so you are before that person) and
someone can be in front of you (so you are behind that person).

One thing can be on another thing. For example, my computer is on my desk.

One thing can be under another thing. For example, I have a mousepad under my mouse.
Below means a lower level. In a group of four football teams (team A, team B, team C and
team d), team C are below team B.

Above means on a higher level. Team A are above Team B, and team B is above team C.

On top of means that something is physically located above another thing.

For example, there is a pile of things on my desk. First, there is a newspaper. On top of the
newspaper there is a book. On top of the book is a cup of coffee.

At the top means that something is located at the highest point. “We’re pleased that she is
at the top of her class for English.”

At the bottom means that something is located at the lowest point. “We’re not pleased that
she is at the bottom of her class for Maths.”

Direction

Across means on the other side. “I live at no 1, London Road. Across from me (on the
other side of the road) is no 2, London Road.”

“Go across the road.” (=cross the road)

Walk along the river. (follow the river)

Walk by the river. (walk near the river)

Walk beside the river. (walk next to the river)

Go up the stairs.

Go down the stairs.

(You can also walk up or down a road or street.)

Go through the tunnel. (You go in one side, then you come out on the other side.)

Go straight on (at a crossroads or a roundabout).

Go round the corner.

Walk around a town. (Walk in a circle, or in a random pattern.)

Go past something – walk past something so that it then is behind you.

Go over something – go over / cross the railway line.