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You have been in Bogotá for a week. You can say "siga derecho" and "gire a la izquierda." But this morning, someone asked you where the pharmacy is, and you knew it was near the park, behind the church, between the bakery and the bank - and you could not say any of that. You pointed and mumbled "ahí... cerca..." and the person walked away none the wiser. The directions were in your head. The prepositions were not in your mouth.
Las preposiciones de lugar son el pegamento del español. (Prepositions of place are the glue of Spanish.) Without them, you can name places but you cannot connect them to each other. You can say "pharmacy" and "park" but not "the pharmacy next to the park." You can say "restaurant" and "corner" but not "the restaurant on the corner." Prepositions turn a list of nouns into a map.
In this lesson, you will master the prepositions that Colombians use every day to describe where things are. These are not rare grammatical constructions - they are the words you hear in every single conversation about location. By the end, you will be able to describe where anything is in relation to anything else - describir dónde queda cualquier cosa en relación con otra.
Colombian Spanish uses a set of prepositional phrases so consistently that once you learn them, you will hear them everywhere. Here are the ones that matter most:
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cerca de | near / close to | La tienda queda cerca del parque |
| lejos de | far from | El aeropuerto queda lejos del centro |
| al lado de | next to / beside | El banco queda al lado de la droguería |
| enfrente de / frente a | in front of / across from | El restaurante queda enfrente del hotel |
| detrás de | behind | El parqueadero queda detrás del edificio |
| entre | between | La tienda queda entre el banco y la iglesia |
| en la esquina de | on the corner of | La panadería queda en la esquina de la 72 con Séptima |
| dentro de | inside | El cajero queda dentro del centro comercial |
Notice the pattern: most of these are two-word phrases followed by de (of/from). This "preposition + de" structure is the backbone of location description in Spanish. When de meets el, it contracts to del: cerca del parque, not cerca de el parque.
These two words - cerca (near) and lejos (far) - are the first location words most learners pick up. But Colombians use them with nuances that textbooks rarely explain.
Cerca de simply means near: "El hospital queda cerca de aquí." (The hospital is near here.) But Colombians often add qualifiers:
Lejos de means far: "El aeropuerto queda lejos del centro." But "far" is relative. A Bogotano might say "Queda un poquito lejos" (It is a little far) - which could mean anything from a 20-minute bus ride to an hour. Always follow up with: "¿Cuánto se demora en llegar?" (How long does it take to get there?)
How Far Is Far?
You ask your Colombian host: "¿El Parque Simón Bolívar queda lejos de aquí?" She tilts her head: "Mmm, queda un poquito lejos. Como a cuarenta minutos en TransMilenio. Pero en taxi son como veinte minutos, dependiendo del tráfico." You have learned a critical lesson: always ask for time, not just distance. "Un poquito lejos" can mean very different things depending on the transport.
These three prepositions are the ones Colombians use most when pinpointing exact locations - when they need to tell you precisely where something is, not just the general neighborhood.
Al lado de (next to): "La droguería queda al lado del supermercado." This is the most common way to say "next to" or "beside." You will hear it dozens of times when people describe where shops, offices, and buildings are.
Entre (between): "El café queda entre la librería y el banco." No de needed after entre - it takes two nouns directly. This is especially useful when describing a place that sits between two well-known landmarks.
En la esquina de (on the corner of): "La panadería queda en la esquina de la Calle 72 con la Carrera 11." In Bogotá, people often say "la 72 con 11" - dropping Calle and Carrera because everyone knows the grid system. The word con (with) connects the two streets at an intersection.
Enfrente de (in front of / across from): This preposition does double duty in Colombian Spanish. It can mean "directly in front of" or "across the street from" - context makes it clear.
Detrás de (behind): "El parqueadero queda detrás del centro comercial." (The parking lot is behind the mall.) This one is straightforward - it means behind, in back of.
Describing Your Apartment's Location
A new friend asks where you live. You say: "Vivo en un apartamento en la Calle 85. Queda al lado de un Éxito grande. Enfrente del edificio hay un parque pequeño, y detrás queda una iglesia. La estación de TransMilenio más cercana queda a tres cuadras, bajando." You just described your location using four prepositions, a landmark, a distance in cuadras, and a directional verb. That is real communicative competence.
The word donde (where) is one of the most versatile words in Colombian location vocabulary. It connects places to descriptions:
That last usage - "donde + person" - is deeply Colombian. People use donde to refer to someone's home or business: "Vamos donde mi mamá" (Let us go to my mom's place). "Compré esto donde el señor de la esquina" (I bought this at the corner guy's place). No preposition needed - just donde.
Now let us combine prepositions into full, useful descriptions - the kind you hear (and need to produce) every day.
Here is a real-world example combining everything:
"¿Dónde queda la notaría? - Queda en la Calle 72 con Carrera 11, al lado del Bancolombia, enfrente del parque. Son como tres cuadras subiendo desde aquí."
That single response uses: a street intersection (con), al lado de, enfrente de, cuadras for distance, and subiendo for direction. This is how Colombians actually describe locations.
Daily Actions for This Week
Monday-Tuesday: Pick five objects or places near you right now. Describe each one's location using a different preposition: "Mi teléfono está al lado de... El supermercado queda cerca de..."
Wednesday-Thursday: On Google Maps, find a neighborhood in Bogotá. Pick three landmarks and write sentences describing their positions relative to each other using entre, enfrente de, and al lado de.
Friday: Practice the donde construction. Say aloud: "Voy donde mi amigo" (I am going to my friend's place). "Compré pan donde la señora de la esquina" (I bought bread at the corner lady's).
Weekend: Record a 30-second voice memo describing where you live using at least four prepositions from this lesson. Play it back and check if someone could find your place from your description alone.