Choosing between a and de

Question

Hello, I’ve really struggled with this lesson. I’ve finally figured out that it is the verb itself that decides whether or not you use ‘a’ or ‘de’. It just wasn’t clicking. So first I will start learning which preposition follows specific verbs, then I will come back to this. Your lesson is about learning that ‘a+el’ is ‘al’ and ‘de+el’ is ‘del’. And I understand that completely. I don’t recall if there is a lesson about correct propositions after verbs. Please let me know if there is. Thank you!

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Faith N.
You're absolutely right: when it comes to choosing between “a” and “de”, it often depends on which verb you're using. Some verbs are followed by “a”, others by “de” and some by completely different prepositions like “en” or “con”. So it's great that you’re starting there first!
We don’t currently have a dedicated lesson that lists all of these combinations, but we do have a really useful vocabulary list of Spanish verbs with prepositions, which shows common examples like pensar en, soñar con, ayudar a, acordarse de and more.
It’s a great resource to return to as you encounter these structures in context. Once you're more familiar with the verb + preposition combinations, the lesson you're working on (with al, del, etc.) will probably make a lot more sense.
Let us know if you'd like help with practice sentences or common patterns to memorize!
Saludos
Silvia