Verbs with Prepositions to Talk About Opinions

One of the greatest skills that comes with advancing your Spanish is being able to talk about opinions. To do so, some verbs with prepositions are common. This means that there are verbs that always use a specific preposition. By learning these, you’ll boost your vocabulary and feel more confident using the subjunctive to talk about your personal thoughts.

What is a preposition?

A preposition is a very small word that has a lot of value! It shows a direction, location, time, or introduces an object. Some phrases don’t need one, like phrases that have just a verb and a noun. For example, take a look at the following sentence:

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Tengo una manzana.

In this sentence, there isn’t a preposition. However, now look at the following sentence:

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Tengo una caja de manzanas.

Now, we have the preposition de to introduce an object. That’s a very common preposition in Spanish!

What’s so special about these verbs with prepositions?

Many verbs that you have learned throughout your studies don’t require a preposition, and others can use different prepositions, depending on what you’re trying to say. The verbs that we’re about to show you will always have the same preposition, so it’s important to learn them as a phrase.

You’ll notice that the exact translation of the verb and preposition might be different from English, and so they’re commonly misused. Don’t be tempted to use the exact English translation, or else it’ll sound funny in Spanish!

The following verbs with prepositions will help you express opinions in Spanish:

• Dudar en – to hesitate to
• Insistir en – to insist on
• Alegrarse de – to be happy about

Since these verbs express opinions, you might recognize them from using the subjunctive. You don’t need to use them in the subjunctive, though. See the following examples that don’t need the subjunctive:

Dudo en recomendar esta tienda. I hesitate to recommend this store.

Insisto en comer antes de salir. I insist on eating before going out.